TCT Asia, China's leading 3D printing and additive manufacturing (AM) event, returns to Shanghai on 12-14th September, bringing with it the latest developments and biggest machine manufacturers from one of the AM industry's fastest growing markets.
Bright Laser Technologies (BLT), the Xi’an-headquartered metal AM specialist, is one such company. In the last year alone, BLT has launched a number of new machines, most recently its five-laser BLT-A400 for large-scale batch production of industrial parts, supported a successful rocket launch mission with its metal 3D printed components, and reported its "strongest ever" year to date with machines now sold into over 20 countries.
Ahead of the event, Eliza Duan, Head of Overseas Business at Bright Laser Technologies spoke to TCT about making metal AM possible for 'millions of factories', additive manufacturing rocket engine components, and ambitions for continued growth.
Register to attend TCT Asia 2023 and visit BLT on booth #H31.
TCT: Tell us what BLT will be bringing to this year's TCT Asia in Shanghai?
ED: As part of our vision to "Make Easier Manufacturing," BLT introduced the "Era of Mass Production" two years ago, with an emphasis on metal additive batch manufacturing. We hope to lower the threshold of adopting this technology and bring metal 3D printing to millions of factories by adhering to the principle of "make it possible, make it affordable". BLT will present the most recent batch manufacturing solutions for the industrial sector at TCT Asia in Shanghai. These solutions include the automated powder circulation system, large format additive manufacturing solutions, and the highly anticipated BLT-MES production line management system. At the same time, we will bring dozens of exhibits for aviation, aerospace, mold and die, medical, electronics, and other applications, such as electric racing car parts, and titanium bicycle parts. Meanwhile, the latest exhibits will be unveiled for the first time on-site, so please look forward to it.
TCT: What would you say is the most significant trend you're seeing in the AM industry today?
ED: Additive manufacturing is expected to become one of the three mainstream manufacturing processes. As a new manufacturing process, the integration of additive manufacturing and digital technology provides an important means for personalized customization of products and the manufacturing of complex structural components. It can play an equally important role as equal material manufacturing and subtractive manufacturing.
In addition, additive manufacturing technology and equipment are developing towards low cost, high reliability, high performance, and intelligence. Additive manufacturing technology plays an increasingly important role in revolutionising the manufacturing sector, assisting in transforming and upgrading the manufacturing industry and enhancing the resilience and safety level of the industrial and supply chains.
BLT-A400 Powder Refreshment System
TCT: Can you share a recent successful customer application story with us?
ED: In March, Dongfang Space independently developed a supporting gas generator for the "Force-85" 100-ton liquid oxygen kerosene engine, which achieved a successful first test run and assessment. The "Force 85" engine adopts a pin bolt design and is the first 100-ton level liquid oxygen kerosene pin bolt gas generator engine in China. BLT participated in developing the "Force-85" engine and printed multiple key components such as the engine body blank and pin-type gas generator. The quality and performance of these components have a significant impact on the overall performance of the engine. On March 1-2, 2023, Beijing Star Glory Space Technology Co., Ltd. successfully completed two semi-system joint tests of the 100-ton liquid oxygen methane rocket engine "JD-2" in real media. BLT assisted the development team in printing multiple pipeline and turbopump parts for the "JD-2" liquid engine, helping customers reduce costs and increase efficiency.
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Exhibit at the UK's definitive and most influential 3D printing and additive manufacturing event, TCT 3Sixty.
In July, BLT’s Additive Manufacturing enabled the successful launch of the world’s first liquid oxygen-methane rocket. During its development, the BLT team conducted a comprehensive analysis of the service conditions for a number of parts, selecting materials such as superalloys and stainless steel to meet the required mechanical properties. Parts were manufactured on machines such as the BLT-S310 and BLT-S400.
Besides, BLT started the expansion of the shoe moulding business as early as 2019 and recently established a strategic partnership with a large Sino-foreign joint venture shoe manufacturer to jointly promote the development of the application of metal 3D printing technology in the shoe-making industry. BLT provides metal 3D printing technology and high-end equipment for international brands our client produces.
TCT: BLT recently opened its new R&D Center in Shanghai. What are your ambitions for this facility?
ED: BLT's Shanghai R&D Center emphasises on electronics, smart devices, industrial machinery, civil drones, commercial aerospace, moulds, new energy, and robotics applications.
The official opening will further enhance BLT's application development capabilities in the East China region, promote in-depth exchanges with users, and mark an important step in further developing BLT's R&D and innovation capabilities, leading the manufacturing industry to upgrade and innovate, making manufacturing easier.
TCT: BLT has introduced a number of new machines over the last 12 months, including the huge 12-laser BLT-S1000 system. Where is this demand for large-format, multi-laser metal AM systems coming from?
ED: The advantages of additive manufacturing are particularly valuable in industries such as aerospace, automotive, energy, and medical, where there is a growing demand for large-size, lightweight, and optimised components.For example, BLT’s large-format metal AM systems (like a 10-laser BLT-S800, and a 12-laser BLT-S1000) are being used to produce structural components like turbine blades, engine casings, and aircraft brackets. These parts can be designed with complex internal cooling channels or lattice structures that enhance their performance while reducing weight. The ability to manufacture such components or multiple parts in a single build using multi-laser systems significantly improves productivity and reduces lead times compared to traditional manufacturing methods. As 1st and only qualified supplier in Asia for manufacturing of Airbus flying parts, BLT also offers a part production service for Airbus with our own large-format, multi-laser metal systems.
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Rows of metal AM machines inside BLT intelligent factory
TCT: Like many industries, the AM sector has experienced turbulence over the last few years – What’s your outlook on the future of the industry in 2023?
ED: The global additive manufacturing industry has shifted from a growth period to an explosive period. With the improvement of technology maturity, unit cost reduction, and industrial supporting capacity enhancement, additive manufacturing has gradually become one of the important manufacturing methods in the industrial field, promoting the development of downstream applications with comprehensive benefits (such as cost, cycle, lightweight, etc.).
Enterprises and service providers in the fields of aviation, aerospace, navigation, energy and power, automotive and rail transit, electronics industry, mould manufacturing, healthcare, and other fields are constantly entering this emerging market.
Some enterprises have introduced additive manufacturing equipment into their production lines, partially realising mixed-line production, and improving market competitiveness in terms of production efficiency, quality control, and flexible production.
In 2022, BLT achieved record revenue growth of 66.3%, with sales totalling approximately US $140 million in 2022. By the end of 2022, BLT had delivered thousands of metal 3D printing systems in total, which were sold to over twenty countries and regions around the world.
For 2023, BLT has a number of moves to boost capacity, meeting the global demand for additive manufacturing technologies.
On July 29, BLT disclosed its performance forecast for the first half of 2023, revealing a remarkable turnaround compared to the previous year. The company anticipates achieving an operating income of approximately USD $ 61.5 million, representing a year-on-year increase of USD $ 22.8 million and an impressive growth of USD $ 40.7 million compared to the same period last year.
In May, BLT officially broke ground on its Phase IV facilities expansion project in Xi’an, China. Upon completion of Phase IV in 2025, BLT's headquarters will reach a size of 410,000㎡. In June, BLT opened its new R&D Center in Shanghai.
TCT: What would you say is unique about the additive manufacturing market in China?
ED: In the face of global economic challenges, the continued growth of China's additive manufacturing industry is not only a testament to the resilience of its market but also holds promise for the future of technology and innovation.
Throughout recent years, I have summarised several characteristics:
The industry scale continues to grow. In recent years, the additive manufacturing market in China has rapidly expanded, with a focus on metal additive manufacturing, widely used in fields such as aerospace, biomedical, industrial moulds, and power energy. China's additive manufacturing journey over the past decade has seen its output value grow to over 4.8 billion US dollars by 2022, with a compound annual growth rate of 32% since 2012, which is about 10% higher than the global average. (Source: Additive Manufacturing Alliance of China)
The competitiveness of additive manufacturing equipment is constantly increasing. The overall industrial competitiveness is relatively strong, and the key indicators of the self-developed multi-laser beam powder bed fusion machine have reached the international advanced level. Last year, BLT launched its large-format BLT-S1000 LPBF machine with a build chamber of 1200 x 600 x 1500 mm and is equipped with eight 500 W lasers as standard, though can be upgraded to twelve lasers enabling it to reach speeds of 300 cm3/h.
The technological application of additive manufacturing has been deeply applied in various fields. From an application point of view, additive manufacturing was first focused on making prototypes and samples and is now shifting to the direct production of final functional parts. Prototyping is still an important area of application, but the direct manufacture of parts and components is on the rise, and the volume is getting bigger and bigger. At present, additive manufacturing is widely used in aerospace, medical, automotive, and other fields, covering product design, prototyping, mass production, fixtures and fittings, protection, and maintenance. BLT is also continuously pioneering in the application of additive manufacturing in various fields, broadening the breadth and width of the use of additive manufacturing in various fields.
