World's first 3D printing conference begins in Beijing

3D printing has made a big splash across various industries worldwide. And it certainly has a bright future. It is precisely to explore this future that the first world 3D printing technology conference is currently being held in Beijing. With more than 600 participants from the industry worldwide, the two day conference is proving to be the one not to miss.

What's the hottest technology worldwide, the answer is: 3D printing.

But do people really know what 3D printing is? The answer it seems is...not so certain.

"I only heard about the technology, but have no idea what it is really about."

"I'm not very clear what it is all about, so I have come here to take a look to learn more about it."

Simply put, 3D printing is the actual layer by layer 3D reproduction of an image on a computer.

With the first World 3D Printing Conference being held in Beijing, not just industry insiders, but ordinary people have the chance to get a better understanding of the industry.

Zhang Meiying, Vice-Chairwoman, CPPCC, said, "We hope people get to know more about this rising technology, though it cannot be called new as it appeared nearly 25 years ago. It is just getting popular in recent years. We hope more people will get to know the industry so as to promote the overall development."

At present, the U.S. continues to lead the world with the largest installed base of additive manufacturing users. Nearly 40-percent of industrial AM installations are in the U.S. Followed by Japan and Germany. China makes up nearly 9-percent.

Still at its nascent stage, China expressed its ambition.

Luo Jun, CEO of Asian Manufacturing Association, said, "We are going to upgrade industry and we expect the output value to be 10 billion yuan in three years. Last year it was 1 billion yuan. We've integrated many companies and research institutes in our alliance, and there is great demand in this industry. "

10 innovation centres will be set up in ten industrial cities in China to promote the development of the industry. The conference will also issue a Beijing Declaration on Friday.

From customizing products to food printing, from live saving to housing building, 3D printing has been applied in many areas. But along with the opportunities, challenges will also be faced in the future.