Beyond the “Print Farm” Label: 3D Printing Farms V.S. Distributed Manufacturing — A Broader Horizon Ahead

“3D printing farm” is just a name. It’s a label that will probably fade away over time, and might even disappear completely.

Not long ago, the “2024 China 3D Printing Farm Industry Summit Forum” was held in Shenzhen. The event was packed. Farm owners from all over the country came together. For once, they stopped their machines, sat down, and shared their stories—where they’ve been, where they are, and where they’re going.

As the host, maybe I shouldn’t have “stirred the pot.” But as someone watching this industry closely, I felt I had to be straight. I wanted to offer a more realistic perspective.

Right now, it might seem like “buying a printer and you’re in business, run machines and you make money.” It feels like a golden opportunity. But nobody knows how long this good time will last. That’s why I gave a quiet warning: IF you’re thinking of jumping in, you need to stay clear-headed. WHEN you enter this business you can often decide if you’ll succeed or struggle.

From Version 1.0 to What Comes Next

Many early players have already made their money. They’ve paid off their machines and grown their operations. But now what? As the industry changes, these owners are asking how they can move forward without getting lost. That’s the real reason they came to the forum—to find the path ahead.

Here are some key points from our forum speakers and our own observations. We believe the printing farm model is still in its “1.0” stage. Hopefully, at the next big turning point, we can meet again and see how much progress everyone has made.

Farm Operators by Scale: Small, Medium, Large — and the “Farmhands”

New data shows that in just one year, the number of 3D printers in domestic farms has passed 50,000. That’s 1.5 times the number from last April. This fast growth shows how quickly the industry is expanding. It also suggests many big players stayed under the radar and weren’t counted in earlier reports.

Small-Scale Operators (20–50 Machines)

For most beginners, this is a side job, not a full-time career. They often started at home, using a spare room. Before work, they take out last night’s prints and start a new batch. After work, they unload and pack. They start one final print before bed. One person can handle everything. Costs are very low.

Medium-Scale Operators (50–500 Machines)

At around 50 machines, many farm owners hit a turning point—and often, a bottleneck. It’s the stage where the home setup starts to fall short. A dedicated space becomes necessary, and with it, more logistics: hiring part-time help, or even quitting a day job to go all-in. This is also when expanding the order pipeline becomes essential. Without more consistent sales, the extra machines may sit idle.

Large-Scale Operators (500–1000 Machines)

At this stage, many no longer see themselves as “farmers.” In fact, they often reject the term altogether. Their operation is moving toward full industrialization—“factory manager” might be the more accurate title. These operators usually have dedicated sales teams, and they’re active across major platforms: from domestic e-commerce to cross-border marketplaces. Their biggest advantage? Access to strong sales channels that keep their machines running and products moving.

Super Farms (1,000+ Machines)

If you’re running over a thousand machines, chances are you didn’t grow from scratch—you came in with resources. These players often parachute into the space with a complete manufacturing background: CNC machines, injection molding equipment, and mature production workflows. For them, 3D printing is simply an extension of existing operations, not a standalone business. And in their eyes, even a unit price as low as 0.12 RMB per gram can generate solid profit when scaled right.

And Then There Are the “Farmhands”

There’s a bit of dark humor in the community—some now refer to themselves as “farmhands.” These are operators working on behalf of others, often picking up outsourced jobs in online groups. Orders may be passed through several middlemen, with pricing driven down at each layer. By the time it reaches the farmhand, the profit margin is razor-thin, sometimes barely above cost. Despite the long hours and hard work, there’s not much money left on the table.

Walking with Two Legs: Domestic and Overseas Sales, Online and Offline

In September 2023, a toy called the “Radish Knife” became a huge trend in China. It was everywhere. The designer, known online as “Question Mark 493,” first made the toy using 3D printing. Before switching to mass production in Yiwu, tens of thousands of units were printed by small farms. This was the moment people saw that 3D printing farms could actually make real money.

If the Radish Knife was the spark, the real explosion came in November 2023. Huge cross-border orders started pouring in—like tens of thousands of “dragon eggs” at once. From that point, the number of farm operators shot up. What was once a niche activity became a well-known and profitable business.

By March 2024, the “Chinese Dragon” was the next big hit. But this time, demand wasn’t just from overseas. The domestic toy market wanted it too. Thanks to a comeback for street vendors, the boom lasted for months. If you visited any tourist spot this past summer, you definitely saw 3D-printed dragons everywhere.

From One Viral Hit to Another: The Lifeblood of Farm Production

We’ve all seen the big hits: Radish Knives, Chinese Dragons. But there are others too—extendable swords, gear balls, and now, Black Myth: Wukong figures. Each one has its moment in the spotlight. For farm owners, these viral hits are everything. They decide if your printers are running 24/7 or sitting silent.

In the past year, just three or four of these blockbuster products pushed machine usage way up. These aren’t just lucky breaks—they set the pace for the whole industry.

Building Sales Networks: From Platforms to Pop-Ups

Farm owners are now building their own sales channels. For international sales, they’re setting up shops on Amazon or supplying products directly to cross-border sellers.

In China, they’re on Taobao, 1688, Douyin, and Pinduoduo. Some run their own stores; others just fulfill orders for stores that don’t hold stock. And it’s not just online. Many are now reaching out directly to tourist spots for partnerships. Others sell through toy markets, supermarkets, or use a store-in-store model—placing their products in gift shops, bookstores, and museums.

Sales Drive Scale: What’s Next Depends on the Next Hit

Right now, your sales skills decide how big you can grow. But timing is just as important. When will the next viral product drop? And when it does, can you move fast enough to catch the wave?

There’s one big bottleneck: original design. Without it, most operators are just following trends, not setting them. That’s why we’re building a platform called Kuyinfang—to connect designers with printing farms. If we can make original content easier to get, this whole business can become more stable and sustainable.

Time to Choose: Go Small or Go Big

If you got in early last year in China, you probably made some good money. But that doesn’t mean the profits will keep flowing. Markets change. More players jump in, capacity grows, prices fall, and hit products get harder to find. You might even see your orders slow down.

When that happens, it’s time to rethink your strategy. From our talks, we see two main paths forward.

Small and Beautiful: Customization and Niche Markets

3D printing’s superpower is customization. If you can design (or work with a designer), you can own a niche.

Think car or motorcycle parts. Outdoor gear. A recent trend? Custom “brute-force fans.” These are perfect for small-batch, unique production.

Rare products are more valuable. The best part? You don’t need 500 machines—about 20 will do. And you’re not selling by weight anymore, but by unit. No more competing on price for dragon eggs.

Big and Comprehensive: The Industrialized Route

Let’s be real—the biggest future players might not even be in today’s community. Many “super farms” are traditional manufacturers. They have years of experience in toys, injection molding, or CNC. For them, 3D printing is just another tool.

No molds, no waiting—just faster production. That’s a real advantage.
For those who grew from 10 to 1000 machines, industrialization is the only way forward. You’ll need to systemize everything—production and sales. And over time, you might add CNC machines, laser cutters, and more, building a complete manufacturing ecosystem.

From Farms to Factories: Reframing the Role of 3D Printing

In the end, 3D printing is just a tool. It’s part of manufacturing. Today’s farms are a form of distributed manufacturing—making lots of identical parts with very little human help, from many different locations.

We live in an era of personalization. People don’t want the same stuff anymore. That’s 3D printing’s big chance. And we think the next key player could be the designer.

These new designers won’t just sell digital files—they’ll sell real, finished products. Some might become small farm owners themselves. But many won’t need any printers. Why? Because their designs will live on a platform—an ecosystem with three layers: e-commerce, software, and manufacturing.

The Future: Design-Driven, Platform-Powered, and Decentralized

Here’s the vision: A designer creates a product in software. They publish it directly to an online store. When a customer orders, a farm in the network gets the job and starts printing. A few units or thousands—the platform handles it all. It’s fast, scalable, and efficient.

In this system, the designer, the platform, and the farm all work together. This is distributed manufacturing in action—not just an idea, but a reality.

That’s the future we’re building. That’s why we created Kuyinfang—to connect designers and farms.

The future of distributed manufacturing isn’t a dream anymore. With every print, we’re making it real.