The exhibition hall at Creality's Longhua headquarters is lined with numerous 3D printers operating in an orderly fashion. As the printing nozzles move with speed and precision, intricate mechanical models take shape. Display shelves are filled with a wide array of 3D-printed items, including trendy collectibles, pet supplies, fashionable accessories, and industrial components, showcasing the diverse applications of the technology.
"In the past, creating a detailed model could take over ten hours. Now, most products can be printed in just one or two hours," explained Ju Zheng, the marketing head at Creality. This significant leap in printing efficiency stems from the company's continuous technological upgrades and serves as a vivid snapshot of the rapid development of China's 3D printing industry.
On May 29th of this year, Creality, which is based in Shenzhen's Longhua district, successfully listed on the main board of the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, becoming the first publicly traded 3D printing company on the Hong Kong market. This Shenzhen-based enterprise has achieved remarkable growth, evolving from a startup team to a global industry benchmark in just 12 years.
In 2014, four entrepreneurs in their late twenties embarked on their journey in Longhua with a startup capital of 300,000 yuan. At that time, the consumer-grade 3D printing market in China was still in its infancy. "Making 3D printing accessible to every household" became the simple yet steadfast founding vision of the startup team. After twelve years of dedicated effort, this vision is steadily becoming a reality.
At the company's exhibition hall, staff demonstrated a convenient and efficient AI modeling function. By simply uploading a regular photo, a three-dimensional digital model can be generated within minutes. After some basic optimization, it can be sent directly to a printer for physical production. "Previously, 3D modeling required professional knowledge and complex software. Now, even ordinary citizens and children can easily handle it," Ju Zheng noted.
In recent years, Creality has actively pursued an "AI + 3D Printing" strategy, integrating artificial intelligence into processes like modeling, slicing, and print monitoring. This has helped build a comprehensive ecosystem encompassing hardware devices, software platforms, and a creator community.
With mature technological products and a robust ecosystem, Creality's innovations are benefiting users worldwide. In Colombia, the company's equipment helped create an 11-meter-tall public art sculpture. In Australia, designers use its 3D printing technology for personalized clothing customization. In Spain, local non-profit organizations utilize related devices to create custom prosthetics for people with disabilities, spreading warmth and support.
Furthermore, the company has collaborated with a major tech firm's large language model to develop a dedicated AI modeling tool, further lowering the barrier to creative expression for the general public and making intelligent manufacturing technology accessible to more people.
Persistent innovation has yielded fruitful results. By the end of 2025, Creality had secured over 900 authorized patents globally. Its products are sold in more than 140 countries and regions, and its Creality Cloud platform has amassed over 6.2 million registered users, building a vast global creator ecosystem.
The rise of a single company reflects the takeoff of an entire industry. Creality's rapid growth is a true representation of the flourishing 3D printing sector in Shenzhen. According to the latest statistics, for the first four months of this year, China's 3D printer export value reached 6.106 billion yuan, a significant year-on-year increase of 110.4%. Shenzhen's 3D printer exports accounted for 5.24 billion yuan of this total, representing 85.8% of the national figure.
A well-developed industrial support system is a core strength for Shenzhen's manufacturing sector in competing globally. "Shenzhen's greatest development advantage is its complete and mature industrial chain," a relevant person in charge at Creality stated frankly. From core components like motors and mainboards to supporting parts like nozzles and printing materials, the vast majority of components the company needs can be sourced within Shenzhen's "two-hour industrial support circle," facilitating rapid R&D, iteration, and market deployment of products.
Currently, Shenzhen is fully committed to building itself into an industrial technology innovation center with global significance, focusing on strengthening strategic emerging industries such as artificial intelligence, high-end equipment manufacturing, and new materials, thereby solidifying the foundation for developing advanced productive forces.
As more Shenzhen-based technology and innovation enterprises like Creality set sail for global markets, the brand influence of "Made by China with Intelligence" continues to rise. This trend is also creating broader development space and infinite possibilities for China's high-end manufacturing in the global marketplace.
Comments