DED Metal 3D Printing Equipment Sees Multiple Growth in Shipments, Secures Two Rounds of Investment.: Exclusive Interview with Dr. Xu Fangda, CEO of Rongsu Technology

In recent years, the metal 3D printing industry has experienced rapid growth. Multiple printing technologies such as powder bed fusion (PBF), directed energy deposition (DED), binder jetting (BJ), and electron beam melting (EBM) are advancing in parallel. Data shows that in the fourth quarter of 2023, the global shipments of directed energy deposition (DED) equipment increased by 30% year-on-year. The DED technology is becoming increasingly popular in the market. What are the reasons behind this? Recently, Nanji Xiong interviewed Dr. Xu Fangda, the founder and general manager of Rongsu Technology, a rising star in the field of domestic DED metal 3D printing equipment

Xu Fangda graduated from Harbin Institute of Technology as an undergraduate and obtained his master's and doctoral degrees from the University of Bath. He has participated in multiple key projects of advanced arc additive manufacturing in the UK and served as the main person in charge of the process monitoring and control subsystem. He has also worked in several world-renowned research institutes and enterprises. He has witnessed the transition of wire feeding technology from prototype to industrialization and completed the original technology accumulation. In 2020, he led the team back to China to start his own business.

As Nanjixiong understands, according to different energy sources, DED wire feeding 3D printing technology is mainly divided into four categories: arc, plasma, laser, and electron beam. Rongsu Technology mainly focuses on the first three technologies. Xu Fangda said, "Arc and plasma are two relatively similar technologies. Arc is more suitable for large-scale general manufacturing industries such as aerospace and electrical fields. Plasma has a higher energy density and is more suitable for the manufacturing of high melting point alloys such as titanium alloys and nickel-based alloys. It is generally used in aircraft manufacturing, thermal power electric power and other scenarios; Laser wire feeding technology with its high precision and stability, has been developing rapidly in recent years, and is believed to be a new growth driver for the DED market in the future.”

It is reported that Rongsu Technology released a new generation of DED wire laser additive manufacturing equipment Laser One (L1) in February 2024. Equipped with self-developed VEAM multi-laser coaxial wire feeding printing technology, it can independently control and adjust each laser beam. Its printing roughness can reach up to 5μm, and the deposition rate can reach 1kg/h. Xu Fangda said, "The laser coaxial wire feeding technology is a rapidly developing technology in recent years. I believe that this equipment is of breakthrough significance for both us and the domestic DED wire feeding field market."

"The product released this time is our company's first generation, but internally we have undergone at least five generations of overall iteration and countless improvements in subsystems. With the industry-leading crazy research and development iteration speed, we have finally achieved ultra-high precision and ultra-high technical level. Today, not many companies in the market can achieve the high precision laser wire feeding equipment level of Rongsu Technology. The reason lies in that Rongsu Technology has comprehensively improved the implementation method of the equipment, including multi-axis full linkage, spot modulation, energy field modulation, etc. Through the modulation and iteration of professional technologies, we have finally achieved high efficiency and precision."

The L1 is just one of our many DED filament feeding 3D printers of Rongsu Technology. At present, Rongsu Technology's product layout covers small-sized scientific research models, large-sized industrial models and super-large-sized non-standard models to meet the needs of different customers. Xu Fangda said, "Corresponding to different heat sources, we have STAR four series of arc additive manufacturing equipment. We also have the new generation of industrial-grade laser wire feeding additive manufacturing platform Robo L1 series and scientific research-grade laser wire feeding additive manufacturing platform Laser One series, as well as plasma product series."

"At the same time, we are also involved in some more sinking scenarios and will develop special models for certain scenarios. For some special scenarios, if everyone is interested in cooperating with us, we can try to cooperate through special models."

In terms of printing materials, Rongsu Technology has a mature additive manufacturing material process and has covered additive manufacturing of more than 30 kinds of metal materials, including carbon steel, stainless steel, aluminum alloy, titanium alloy, nickel-based alloy, etc. At the same time, we will continue to develop more abundant material processes to meet the needs of customers in various fields.

In addition to providing 3D printing equipment, Rongsu Technology also provides printing services for finished parts for customers in application fields. At present, it is gradually being introduced and applied in multiple fields such as aerospace, automobiles, construction, molds, machinery, and transportation. Xu Fangda said, "Our printed parts have been unanimously recognized by customers, and some printed parts have been put into actual application scenarios. Customer feedback shows that our 3D printing technology has significantly improved in terms of quality, cost, and production efficiency. In terms of quality, the quality of DED wire feeding is excellent in the general manufacturing industry and can usually be considered close to the forging standard, similar to the performance and level of actual forgings. Moreover, in terms of price, especially in some medium and large-sized metal additive manufacturing demand scenarios, the cost advantage of DED wire feeding is extremely significant, and the manufacturing cost can be compressed by 60% compared to traditional processes. Finally, there is also a significant improvement in efficiency. Generally speaking, compared with the original industrial chain, the production cycle of the industrial chain using DED wire feeding can be shortened by more than half."

When facing so many metal 3D printing technologies on the market, how should customers choose the technology type suitable for them? Compared with the most commonly used powder bed fusion (PBF) technology, what are the advantages of DED printing technology? Xu Fangda said, "For parts with simple shapes and low processing difficulty, traditional manufacturing processes have lower costs. However, once the manufacturing complexity increases, the cost will rapidly increase. PBF technology has significant cost advantages in particularly complex parts. While DED technology has absolute cost advantages in the manufacturing of medium complexity and medium to large-sized parts, and it can also save materials and improve efficiency, having very broad application prospects. Therefore, I think DED technology and PBF technology are complementary and each has its own advantages. Different additive manufacturing technology routes have their applicable scenarios. Just as traditional manufacturing includes casting, forging, welding, cutting and other processes, each process can find its application market."

"Since its establishment, Rongsu Technology has been conducting research and development on software layout. It has now completed the third-generation graphic engine software, which features a digital geometric engine that integrates data closely. In the world, companies such as Aibuild in the UK and Dyndrite in the US have adopted this new technology route that will be released in the future.

The software's feature is that it can not only plan paths, but also feedback the process data of printing to the software for autonomous iterative optimization of the process. This optimization requires the support of a new generation of core and AI algorithms, so Rongsu Technology is actually a cutting-edge additive manufacturing technology company driven by data and supported by AI algorithms."

According to , Rongsu Technology has received three rounds of financing since its establishment. In October 2023, it secured a Pre-A round of financing, and in May 2024, it secured a Pre-A+ round of financing. It is not easy to continue to receive investments in the current unfavorable market environment, so Rongsu Technology must have its unique charm.

Xu Fangda said, "The reason why Rongsu Technology has received capital favor is that the current metal 3D printing market is developing well, and the growth potential of the DED field where Rongsu Technology is located is huge.  At the same time, we have mature laser wire feeding additive manufacturing and arc additive manufacturing technologies, comprehensively layout multiple sectors such as additive manufacturing equipment, printing services, and additive manufacturing software. The core team is all from well-known domestic and foreign universities and cutting-edge technology companies, with strong independent research and development capabilities and rich additive manufacturing development and manufacturing experience."

"Secondly, Rongsu Technology is not a traditional equipment company in the sense that it is actually a company committed to landing the industrial chain, and it carries out full-scene cooperation and layout in the chain, covering the complete links of equipment, process, sensors, software, and algorithms. It uses new technologies to vigorously promote the rapid cost reduction of manufacturing. This makes Rongsu Technology have unique vitality and investment value in this scenario." That's why we have received recognition from capital and are looking forward to working with more partners to drive the progress of DED wire feeding industry.”

"As one of the main manufacturers in the DED wire feeding field, Rongsu Technology does feel the increasing market demand for DED technology. The equipment shipments and service volume of our company have also achieved several times growth compared to the same period last year. At present, the market's acceptance of DED wire feeding field technology is increasing day by day, and it is being quickly introduced into actual application scenarios. We believe that in the next two years or so, as the verification cycle of most existing manufacturers comes to an end, we will see even faster growth in 2025-2026, with business volume expected to achieve higher growth."

Xu Fangda concluded, "Although the company has been established for a relatively short time, we are pleased that our development in the past two years has been rapid. The original intention of founding Rongsu Technology stems from the rapid development opportunity of DED wire feeding but developing DED wire feeding technology is only a starting point. If this technology cannot bring about efficiency progress, then it is a backward technology. Rongsu Technology hopes to make efforts to enable DED wire feeding technology to promote the efficiency improvement of the entire manufacturing industry chain. The ultimate goal is to expect to optimize the entire human manufacturing industry and bring new changes to it, especially in the field of medium and large-sized manufacturing and component manufacturing, and promote the landing of new industrial chains. This is our ultimate goal."

"In the near future, we will further improve the efficiency of DED wire feeding and release new products. Stay tuned!"