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China’s largest metal additive manufacturing (AM) company believes the industry’s next chapter won’t be written in laboratories but on factory floors. And they’re focused on it.
Speaking at Formnext Asia Shenzhen 2025, Vincent Yang, Vice President, Xi’an Bright Laser Technologies (BLT) and General Manager, Bright Laser Technologies (Shenzhen) Co Ltd, offered candid insights on how the publicly-listed company sees the market evolving, its position among global competitors, and why the next decade for AM will be defined less by technological breakthroughs and more by manufacturing economics.
Vincent Yang. Image courtesy of BLT.
“The real growth is not being driven by 3D printing fanatics anymore,” Yang said. “It’s the engineers, the product designers in their respective industries, who are realizing they need to use AM because it would allow them to make more competitive products.”
This shift has been particularly pronounced in China, where fierce manufacturing competition forces companies to prove AM can deliver better parts at competitive costs—not just demonstrate technical possibility.
“In Europe, you might make AM competitive in a lab,” Yang noted. “But most production volumes don’t stay in Europe and prices are different at volume. In China, if you get costs right here, you probably have an advantage at volume over other manufacturing technologies as well.”
Unlike most competitors who focused on either machines or services, BLT has evolved into a fully integrated provider spanning services, machines, and materials. This wasn’t strategic planning—it was a necessity.
“When we started in 2011, we were simply an application company,” Yang recalled. “But not many wanted to buy machines for something they didn’t believe in yet. So we took the risk, showed them the applications, and only later began selling machines ourselves.”
The same pattern repeated with materials. “We talked to every major supplier, asking for custom alloys at the right cost. Nobody wanted to do it. So we did it ourselves.”
What Yang describes as an “unfortunate situation” has become BLT’s strategic moat. Today, the company is a complete metal AM platform which can de-risk applications for customers through service-first validation, then transition them to machines and powders once adoption matures. With approximately over 1000 machines and systems in operation providing printing services, BLT operates one of China’s largest metal AM service bureaus alongside its equipment business.
While BLT’s foundation remains aerospace, medical, molds, and prototyping, consumer-facing applications are emerging as unexpected growth drivers.
In consumer electronics, BLT has developed solutions for hinges, heat sinks, and structural components in devices since 2016.
“Commercialization began around 2021, and adoption is accelerating,” Yang explained. “The volumes and cost pressures in consumer electronics force you to optimize.”
In the area of heat exchangers, the company now works on various thermal management applications unlocking significant improvements in thermal conductivity for different industries.
As for footwear and eyewear, BLT sees long-term promise, but Yang remains pragmatic:
“There’s a lot still needs to be done for mass customization at scale in the consumer facing product side to make it viable.”
As competitors pursue binder jetting, area-wide printing, and other emerging processes, BLT remains committed to metal powder bed fusion (PBF) as its core platform.
“We think Metal PBF is still the way to go,” Yang explained. “Every technology has advantages and drawbacks. What matters is delivering the best and cheapest product for each application.”
The company’s long-term vision transcends process optimization. BLT sees the next frontier in Design for Additive Manufacturing (DFAM)—shifting from making multi process-compatible parts to parts impossible to manufacture any other way.
“All the CAD we use today is designed for conventional processes,” Yang said. “Once we move into true DFAM, we’re miles ahead—because we’ll be producing parts no other technology can touch. That’s when AM stops competing with traditional manufacturing and starts creating entirely new product categories.”
The Chinese AM landscape has become increasingly crowded, with established manufacturers like UnionTech and Han’s Laser entering the space alongside dozens of startups. BLT welcomes the increase of attention to metal AM.
“The fact that more companies are coming in shows belief in AM,” Yang said. “Of course, it will up the game in competition which will make the best out of everybody. Just as Europe consolidated around a handful of leaders, the same will happen here.”
Despite China’s rapid growth, BLT maintains deep respect for European pioneers. “EOS is still one of the most influential names in the world,” Yang emphasized. “They have tremendous long-term vision. We see them as colleagues pushing the industry forward, not just competitors.”
Looking ahead, Yang frames the industry’s evolution around three critical challenges:
“We’re seeing ‘yes’ emerge as the answer in specific niches,” Yang said. “Shoe molds, consumer electronics, specialized medical implants—these are proven cases where AM wins on both performance and cost.”
BLT Booth at Formnext Asia Shenzhen 2025
The conversation returned repeatedly to a central theme: AM’s transition from technology showcase to manufacturing tool. Yang sees this shift accelerating, particularly in China, where manufacturing pragmatism trumps technological romanticism.
“For too long, AM tried to compete at traditional manufacturing’s game—making the same parts, just differently,” Yang concluded. “But once DFAM becomes mainstream, we’re no longer constrained by designs which are also compatible with CNC and casting. We’re building entirely new product or parts, tailored to AM’s advantage.”
As BLT continues its expansion—with international offices planned and new material developments underway—the company embodies China’s broader AM strategy: not only concerned with scientific breakthroughs, but also focused on manufacturing milestones. In a market where boring beats brilliant, BLT is betting on integration, iteration, and cost optimization.
The revolution, as Yang sees it, won’t be televised or published in journals. It’ll be manufactured, quietly and repetitively, one part at a time.
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