China now has its first purely domestic dot-scan 3D printer

Zhuhai CTC Electronic Co. Ltd has announced a new series of selective laser melting industry-grade metal 3D printers called the Walnut. Three printers in the series have been announced so far: Walnut 11, Walnut 18 and Walnut 26. What is most interesting about the launch is that Zhuhai CTC becomes the first China maker to have built a dot-scan 3D printer without relying on any technology from foreign firms.

This goes to show how far China suppliers have come in this area and how they are disrupting the market. Zhuhai CTC's press release touts the company's addition to China's home-grown and proprietary technology with its latest printers. 3ders reported that Zhuhai CTC established itself with an affordable stereolithography 3D printer called Riverside and followed it up with the Riverside 2.

Zhuhai sees its proprietary metal 3D printing technology as important because such printers are "ready to replace some of the traditional processing manufacturing tools in the not-too-distant future," which could lead to "fierce competition" in the market. A sizeable portion of the metal 3D printing space, 14.4 percent by one estimate, is for aerospace and military products. If Zhuhai CTC is able to bring down costs and prices the way Chinese companies have in other areas of the 3D printing market, it could have a big effect on the industry, especially if other domestic players are not far behind in the metal 3D printing market.

Of course, most 3D printers available today are not for industrial use. Many China suppliers are focusing on the consumer and education 3D printer markets. They have had a big impact by bringing down prices, possibly helping push companies such as Mattel into the 3D printer space.

See a comparison table of selected 3D printer suppliers on GlobalSources.com