Aug 24, 2016 | By Benedict

Shining 3D, a Chinese 3D printing company, is aiming to become a leader in the field of 3D bioprinting while simultaneously building China’s 3D printing ecosystem. The company owns a 50% stake in Regenovo Biotech, the company behind the Regenovo 3D bioprinter.

Have you heard what the Regenovo Bioprinter can do?

Li Cheng, Chairman of Shining 3D, started his career in the chemical fiber textile industry, before getting into the 3D printing industry a decade ago. Since then, the entrepreneur has witnessed the rapid development of the 3D printing industry in China. At first, his company Shining 3D mainly dabbled in 3D printed portraits and other consumer applications, but gradually became involved in industrial manufacturing, biomedical 3D printing, and other important areas. During this period of growth, the company managed to build a functional 3D printing ecosystem.

An important area of Shining 3D’s operations is its work in the biomedical sector. Organ 3D printing is the most attractive technical field, but also one of the most difficult, with long periods of nurturing and unpredictable technology. “Biological 3D cell printing began with a famous experiment,” explained Xu Mingen, chief scientist of Regenovo Biotech. “The arteries of rats were cut into many donut-like rings, and these ‘donuts’ were connected together. After 72 hours, these 'donuts' fused together and formed functional blood vessels for transporting blood. This experiment showed that, if we use a technique to create cell structures in vitro, it is possible to make functional biological structures.”

Shining 3D CEO Li Tao

Regenovo Biotech was founded in 2013 by Shining 3D and Xu Mingen, a Professor at Hangzhou University of Electronic Science and Technology. Following a Series B investment round, Shining 3D came to hold 50% of shares, maintaining the control of the company. In October 2015, Regenovo Biotech 3D printed the building blocks of a human liver and introduced its next-generation bio-printing workstation, a system which not only aids the R&D of 3D printing artificial tissues and organs, but also provides a new solution for drug screening, enabling scientists to test pharmaceutical products on artificial human organs. At present, Regenovo’s main activities include providing research tools for 3D printing in the field of life sciences and materials, providing 3D printed tissue for patients, providing new drug development and formulation techniques for pharmaceutical companies, and providing individually tailored medical aids for doctors.

The Regenovo 3D Bioprinter

Earlier this month, Regenovo completed the acquisition of a 51% stake in Hangzhou Medzone Biotech, a high-tech enterprise which specializes in the development of biomedical materials and devices. The company produces medical equipment and customized, biodegradable medical devices. Regenovo’s acquisition of Hangzhou Medzone provided the final link in its biological 3D printing supply chain, from materials to equipment.

With Regenovo expecting to post much higher annual sales this year, the company appears to be balancing its most immediately lucrative services with its more long-term research goals. “Whether it will be possible to 3D print a living organ in clinical situations is still unknown, but from Regenovo Biotech's business layout it is clear that we are not only looking at 3D printing body parts, but also standing at the forefront of skin printing, tissue scaffold printing, and bioprinting for drugs testing,” said Shining 3D’s Huangxian Qing. “These three areas can provide a stable income for the foreseeable future. Living organ printing, on the other hand, represents a strategic investment.”

Shining 3D products

On August 8, 2014, Shining 3D went public, and after several rounds of investment, the company's total market capitalization stood at about 1.8 billion RMB. Following several further rounds of financing, performance improved at a rapid rate. By 2015, the company had achieved revenues of 190 million RMB, an increase of 64.81% compared to same period of the previous year, and a net profit of 11.8303 million RMB, an increase of 90.40% compared to same period of the previous year. During the first half of 2016, Shining 3D reported revenues of 95.7789 million RMB, up 57.03%, and profits of 1.9199 million RMB, representing an increase of 117.57%. “In terms of sales volume and number of staff, we are ranked no. 1 out of all 3D printing companies in China." Li said.

Shining 3D is currently attempting to expand its online 3D printing platforms: 3Dker, a Thingiverse-style 3D model database; and 3Dzao, a 3D printing service platform. The company is also focused on creating a 3D scanning and 3D printing technology ecosystem that includes 3D scanning and 3D printing equipment, 3D printing materials, 3D printing manufacturing services, 3D data content services, 3D customer training services, and its two internet cloud platforms. “Shining 3D will further improve the 3D scanning and 3D printing technology ecology, while implementing a '3D Print + Internet' strategy to build an online and offline closed-loop 3D printing ecosystem,” Li commented.

In addition to the aforementioned projects, Shining 3D also plans to explore further 3D printing applications in the medical field, advancing 3D scanning and 3D printing technology R&D in dental applications, tissue scaffolds, and organ printing. The company will build on the work of Regenovo to further promote the development of biomaterials and bioprinting technology to achieve higher production and commercialization of organ and tissue cells. “Throughout 2016-2018, Shining 3D will replicate its business model, resulting in the rapid expansion of the business and a higher degree of operating efficiency,” Li added.

Earlier this year, Shining 3D opened a 25,000-square-meter 3D printing center in Hangzhou, China. The facility has been touted as China’s “largest 3D printing innovation center.”

Shining 3D HQ in Hangzhou

Posted in 3D Printer Company

Maybe you also like:









Martin Sorol wrote at 8/26/2016 1:27:01 PM:Is it just me or are the Chinese the biggest bunch of intellectual thieves in history? The thing about these people is that that lack originality. The Regenovo 3D Bioprinter is a copy of the Envisiontec Bioprinter. Why does they grow up and do their own thing for once?Alvaro wrote at 8/25/2016 1:27:17 AM:A big step towards a better future to all of us!



