Three-dimensional (3D) printer vendor XYZ Printing Inc (三緯) yesterday said it plans to launch four or five new models this year as part of its effort to sell more than 1 million units of 3D printers globally by 2016.
The new models will target the general consumer market, as well as medical and healthcare companies, and industrial product makers, Simon Shen (沈軾榮), chairman of XYZ Printing told reporters on the sidelines of a 3D forum in Taipei.
“The 3D printer market is the only market that can achieve 100 percent growth in shipment volume over the next three years. The smartphone or tablet markets can no longer achieve similar growth,” Shen said.
He said that the printers that are used to make applications for general crafts and animation models would see their average selling price falling to between US$499 and US$599 per unit, while demand for those used to manufacture prosthetic devices and medical aids could see an upsurge in the next five to 10 years.
Since last year, XYZ Printing has been involved in several international studies to develop technologies for the medical field, Shen said, but the company’s product line still remains consumer-focused, not business or corporate-oriented at the moment.
In the third quarter, XYZ Printing plans to launch a new model that fuses acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), one of the world’s most widely used thermoplastic materials, to make animation and toy models, Shen said.
XYZ Printing’s first product this year will be priced at between US$499 and US$599 and designed primarily for the public to make animation models in two colors.
The company is the 3D printer manufacturing arm of local electronics conglomerate New Kinpo Group (新金寶集團). In August last year, it unveiled its inaugural printer, “da Vinci 1.0,” which started sales in Taiwan last month with a NT$15,000 price tag, Shen said.
The printer was also shipped to China and Japan late last month, and the US market will be explored this month, he added.
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