In May 2025, Chengdu enjoys perfect sunshine.At the Dongguang Artificial Intelligence Valley in Chenghua Economic Development Zone,a grand party about the “future” has begun— with the launch of the Free 3D Southwest Cultural and Creative 3D Printing Base,this industrial hub in the west is once again showcasing its ambition in the field of technological innovation.As traditional industries encounter digitalization,as cultural design collides with 3D printing,and as AI robots enter the fields,Chenghua Economic Development Zone is writing a new paradigm of modern industrial upgrading with vivid examples.
Overview of Chenghua Economic Development Zone
Free 3D: The Magical Factory that “Prints” Cultural Creativity
In the exhibition hall of Dongguang Artificial Intelligence Valley, 3D sculptures integrating elements of Sichuan opera face-changing and pandas eating bamboo are particularly eye-catching. These works from Free 3D are not only artworks but also the crystallization of deep integration between technology and culture. As the “cultural creative pioneer” of Shenzhen Jinshi 3D Group, Free 3D has targeted Chengdu’s rich cultural soil from the outset, aiming to become the top player in the Southwest’s cultural creative 3D printing industry.
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From Jinli to Chunxi Road: 3D Printing Reshapes Urban Expressions
In the first “3D Printing Theme Park” in Western China, tourists are amazed by a group of sculptures that “tell stories”. These works, based on the folklore of Western Sichuan, have accurately restored the bamboo chairs of old tea houses and the patterns of covered bowls through 3D scanning technology, even the caramel sheen of sugar-coated fruits is clearly visible. “Traditional craftsmanship requires a 3-month lead time, we only need 10 days,” said Li Bin, Vice President of Operations at Free 3D.
Free 3D Cultural Creative ProductsMeanwhile, in the Chunxi Road business district, a well-known mall’s anniversary celebration display has also caught people’s attention: a 3D printed hollow panda shape paired with an intelligent lighting system, resembling a glowing crystal sculpture at night, has attracted a 27% increase in foot traffic. “We are transforming Chengdu’s cultural symbols into touchable and interactive new urban landmarks,” Li Bin said.
3D Cultural Creative Works Display
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The “Transformers” in the Technology Library
Entering Free 3D’s production workshop feels like stepping into a sci-fi movie scene: a giant FGF-3500 printer is printing a 3-meter tall statue of Du Fu, while an SLA curing device next to it is making a miniature version of the Sanxingdui mask, with a precision of 0.05 millimeters—equivalent to 1/10th the thickness of a human hair.
The 3D printer is “producing images”“This device can print over 20 materials including metal, resin, and nylon, handling everything from sculptures to industrial molds,” said Engineer Wang. Their self-developed ABS+glass fiber material allows outdoor sculptures to remain unchanged in color for ten years, while the PPSU+carbon fiber material used for high-temperature molds can withstand industrial environments of up to 300°C.
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The “Cultural Long March” Starting from Chengdu
Currently, Free 3D’s business covers 12 provinces and cities nationwide, creating “3D+AR” interactive projects for over 30 scenic spots. In Dunhuang, they used 3D printing technology to replicate mural reliefs, allowing visitors to touch a thousand years of civilization; in Xi’an, the “talking Terracotta Warriors” customized for a historical district have become a new hotspot for cultural tourism consumption.
3D Cultural Creative “Cute” Products“We plan to establish our first overseas base in Southeast Asia next year, allowing the world to see the charm of Chinese cultural creativity,” Li Bin revealed. The parent company Jinshi 3D is about to initiate an IPO, and in the future, it will focus on the field of space 3D printing. Perhaps in the near future, Chengdu enterprises will also appear in the construction of lunar bases.
Intelligent Speed Engine: The Academic Team Teaching AI Robots to “Farm”
At the Chenghua Economic Development Zone’s Chengdu Robot Innovation Center, engineers from Intelligent Speed Engine are debugging a “cute” picking robot. This little guy, less than 1 meter tall, has sharp “eyes” and flexible “arms”—through multi-sensor fusion technology, it can accurately identify ripe tomatoes, picking them three times faster than humans.
The Intelligent Speed Robot is “picking fruit”
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When AI Agriculture Turns to Education: Technological Innovation Rewrites Classroom Models
“Traditional agriculture relies on experience, we rely on artificial intelligence,” said Wei Wenqing, co-founder of Intelligent Speed Engine. They developed the “AI Agricultural Brain” system, which can collect over 100 data points in real-time, including soil moisture, light intensity, and crop growth cycles, providing farmers with precise planting solutions. In a pilot project covering 500 acres of farmland in Sichuan, farmers using this system saw an average yield increase of 15% and a 20% reduction in pesticide use.
In recent years, to adapt to the trend of “Artificial Intelligence +”, Intelligent Speed Engine has focused on education, achieving remarkable results. Their AI curriculum for K12 has been introduced to over 20 primary and secondary schools in Chengdu. In a laboratory at a primary school in the High-tech Zone, children are building their own “robot farms” with building blocks, programming virtual robots to complete tasks like watering and fertilizing. “We hope to cultivate children’s computational thinking from a young age, so they can become the natives of the AI era in the future,” Wei Wenqing said.
Various Educational Robot “Babies”
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Thinking Industrial Robots
In the industrial field, Intelligent Speed Engine’s inspection robots are also shining brightly. In a large factory workshop, a black robot is autonomously patrolling, its “eyes”—high-precision cameras can detect equipment temperature and vibration frequency in real-time, and once an anomaly is detected, it can issue a warning within 30 seconds. “Previously, five workers were needed for shift inspections, now one robot handles it all, reducing the failure rate by 40%,” the factory manager remarked.
This team, with an average age of 32, possesses remarkable research capabilities: founder Dr. Du Pengfei led a $20 million research project at the University of Iowa in the USA, and the drone swarm control technology developed is globally leading; Executive Director Zhang Gang is a capital operation expert who has led the acquisition of assets worth 50 billion yuan. “We have the rigor of scientists and the acumen of entrepreneurs, which is the core competitiveness of Intelligent Speed Engine,” Wei Wenqing said.
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Bringing Chinese AI Standards to the World
When discussing the future, Wei Wenqing firmly stated: “We plan to establish AI laboratories in 100 impoverished schools within three years, to balance educational resources. At the same time, we are actively participating in the formulation of relevant standards in the education industry, allowing the world to hear China’s voice.”
When asked if she is worried about international competition, she smiled and said: “AI knows no borders, but scientists have a homeland. Our goal is to make Chinese intelligent technology the universal language of global industrial upgrading.”
Zhiyuan Measurement: The Invisible “Industrial Guardian”
In a low-key building in Chenghua Economic Development Zone, Zhiyuan Measurement’s laboratory is showcasing precision “tech shows”! Engineers are operating imported calibration equipment, performing “minimally invasive surgery” on sensors for new energy vehicle batteries. Did you know? The data they calibrate allows for more accurate performance interpretation of sensors, like putting an “intelligent lock” on automotive safety!
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The “Super Bodyguard” of Energy Security
“Measurement and testing are the industrial eye of fire!” Chairman Liu Wen made a vivid analogy. They can provide on-site “physical examinations” for enterprise equipment like emergency doctors, identifying power quality issues on the spot and customizing solutions in minutes. In a photovoltaic power station project, they discovered excessive harmonic distortion in the inverter through precise testing, stopping it in time to avoid losses of over 200,000 yuan, while also eliminating potential risk “tails”!
The “Battery Guardian” of Photovoltaic Power StationsIn the new energy sector, they are undoubtedly the “battery guardians”. They perform precision calibration on lithium battery production equipment, keeping the battery consistency error within 0.1%, directly enhancing battery safety and lifespan. “We are like the physical examination center of the industrial world; whether each component can be put to work depends entirely on our testing data!” Liu Wen’s words are quite powerful, right?
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The “Future Tech Blockbuster” in the Laboratory
Entering Zhiyuan Measurement’s laboratory feels like stepping into a sci-fi movie scene! Some projects have adopted AI unmanned detection systems, allowing equipment to complete calibration comparisons autonomously; digital sensors act like countless electronic eyes, monitoring parameters like temperature and humidity in real-time, with data transmitted to the cloud database via 5G rockets. Technical Director Wang revealed: “Now the detection efficiency has increased by 2-3 times, far exceeding traditional manual recording speeds!”
Even more impressive is the carbon measurement technology they are developing, which is cutting-edge in the industry! By accurately measuring corporate carbon emissions data, they serve as “digital referees” for carbon trading and carbon neutrality. Liu Wen painted a cool picture: “In the future, we will build a digital measurement ecosystem, where every action in corporate production can find its exclusive ‘coordinates’ in the system!”
“Digital Referee” Enters the Plateau
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By 2035, Let the World Hear Chinese Measurement “Speak”
When discussing the vision of “China’s measurement leading the world by 2035”, Liu Wen’s eyes sparkled: “In the next five years, we aim to throw digital measurement technology from the laboratory to the production line, making China the benchmark for global precision measurement!” They also plan to open branch centers in Guiyang and Chongqing, weaving a service network covering the entire country.
In his view, the battle in the measurement and testing circle is essentially a competition of technological strength and standard discourse power. “Once Chinese measurement standards become a global common language, our industrial competitiveness will take off! This is not just a small goal for Zhiyuan Measurement, but a grand dream for Chinese manufacturing!”
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These Years of “Hardcore Operations” They Have Done
In 2024, they will serve as the “power manager” for the State Grid Guangyuan Power Supply Company in the Jian’ge area, providing both on-site monitoring and remote analysis, and customizing improvement plans, delivering monthly “health reports” and quarterly in-depth analyses, ensuring attentive service.
Absolutely the “Power Manager”From 2023 to 2025, they will serve as the “forecasting master” for a wave of new energy projects including the photovoltaic power station in Bange County, Tibet, the water and electricity storage power station of Shui Fa Group, Jiangsu Dahai New Energy Technology Co., Ltd., and Sichuan Xindongfang Cable Group Co., Ltd., obtaining grid company approvals within three weeks, and continuously monitoring and reporting after the project is connected to the grid, ensuring high professionalism!
Xucheng Digital: Equipping Oil and Gas Fields with an “Intelligent Brain”
In the command center of an oil and gas field in Sichuan, thousands of datapoints are dynamically displayed on the big screen, sourced from the gas well production dynamic analysis system developed by Xucheng Digital. Data analysis that previously took two hours to complete manually can now be done in 10 minutes by the system, potentially increasing annual gas production by 1.6 billion cubic meters—enough to meet the annual gas needs of 800,000 households.
Dynamic Monitoring Screen Screenshot
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The “Digital Doctor” Solving Industrial Problems
“Low-yield wells are like chronic industrial diseases; our task is to find the root cause,” said Chen Xiang, General Manager of Xucheng Digital. Their technical team, led by three PhD experts in oil and gas field development, has constructed an integrated analysis model of “geology-engineering-surface”. Through AI algorithm optimization, they have successfully improved the fault diagnosis accuracy of gas wells to 93%, while reducing manual labor intensity by 70%.
In the photovoltaic field, their “leap cleaning device” has also addressed industry pain points. In a photovoltaic power station in Northwest China, solar panels that previously required manual cleaning once a week can now be cleaned without water through remote control, increasing power generation efficiency by 8% and saving over 500,000 yuan in labor costs annually.
Photovoltaic Power Station “Cleaning Guardian”
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The “Strongest Brain” Team Full of Scholars
In Xucheng Digital’s R&D team, 30% hold PhDs, and 60% have master’s degrees or higher. Founder Chen Xiang is an expert in intelligent control and has participated in several key national R&D projects. “We adhere to ‘technology is king’, investing 30% of our revenue in R&D each year,” he said.
The multi-objective optimization intelligent algorithm they developed has applied for 12 national patents and has been successfully used in oil and gas field production and photovoltaic equipment control. In their 850㎡ R&D base, engineers are engaged in brain-teasing algorithm optimization every day, striving to improve equipment operating efficiency by even 0.1%.
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Opening the “Smart Transformation” Era in the Energy Industry
Looking to the future, Chen Xiang envisions a smart energy blueprint: “We will launch a millisecond response intelligent wellhead control system, allowing devices to react to anomalies faster than a blink of an eye. At the same time, we will build a ‘dynamic optimization + remote operation and maintenance’ system in the photovoltaic field to maximize power generation efficiency.”
In his view, the intelligent transformation of the energy industry is not a choice but a necessity. “When traditional energy takes flight with AI, it can not only reduce costs and increase efficiency but also contribute to the ‘dual carbon’ goals. Xucheng Digital is the ‘technical translator’ in this transformation process.”
[Chenghua Revelation] The “Chengdu Code” for Industrial Upgrading
From 3D printing to AI robots, from measurement testing to energy intelligence, the new enterprises settling in Chenghua Economic Development Zone exhibit distinct characteristics: deep integration of technology and industry, innovation and implementation resonating in sync. Here, there are “cultural technology crossovers” like Free 3D, “hardcore technology factions” like Intelligent Speed Engine, and “invisible champions” like Zhiyuan Measurement and Xucheng Digital.
Technology Cradle—Dongguang Artificial Intelligence ValleyThis diversified industrial ecosystem benefits from Chengdu’s unique geographical advantages and policy environment: as the first national central city in the west, Chengdu not only has a talent pool from universities like the University of Electronic Science and Technology and Sichuan University but also policies like the “Rongpiao Plan” and “Industry Elite”. As the head of the Economic Development Zone Management Committee said: “In nurturing enterprises, we not only aim for industrial agglomeration but also focus on ‘value’ and ‘future sense’, allowing every enterprise to find fertile ground for growth here.”While the eastern coastal regions accelerate in high-end manufacturing, Chengdu is wisely opening new tracks in cultural creativity and industrial intelligence through “differentiated competition”. These new force enterprises rooted in Chenghua may be writing another possibility for China’s industrial upgrading—not merely simple scale expansion, but achieving value leaps through technological innovation, making every industrial link rich in “intelligent content”.
Chengdu Robot Innovation Center “Gathering of Giants”Standing at the 2025 time node, we have reason to expect that these “little lotus leaves” may grow into “lotus leaves reaching the sky”, and Chenghua Economic Development Zone will become the best window to observe the industrial upgrading in Western China. As the sunlight of technology shines on this vibrant land, a quiet industrial revolution about the future is happening.
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