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As the Year of the Horse approaches, a different kind of “gallop” was happening inside a large manufacturing workshop in Shenzhen, a major tech hub in southern China’s Guangdong province. Shelves lined with hundreds of humming 3D printers stretched across the space, and technician Yang Shengwu moved among the machines, preparing them for another batch of Chinese New Year products.
After meticulously cleaning a build plate and loading new spools of filament, Yang pressed the start button. The nozzles immediately sprang into action, melting red filament into fine threads that gradually built up, layer by layer, eventually producing festive horse ornaments, symbols of good luck, and intricately detailed zodiac decorations.
This factory is operated by Shenzhen Huafast Industry, which currently runs around 5,000 3D printers capable of creating toys and tools from various materials. As the Spring Festival drew near, the plant was overwhelmed with orders for personalized Chinese New Year gifts.
According to the company’s leader, Li Jian, one of the main advantages of 3D printing is its speed. “Products can go from design to market almost instantly. There’s no need for costly, time-consuming molds,” he explained, emphasizing that this technology is perfect for tight holiday deadlines. “Complex fidget toys with moving parts can be printed in one piece, eliminating the need for assembly.”
A recent order underscored this benefit: 40,000 desktop ornaments featuring a horse and the Chinese character for “fortune” needed to be ready in just one week. “Only 3D printing could meet that timeline,” Yang said.
But this technology isn’t limited to novelty items. Across China, 3D printing is quietly reshaping traditional industries. In Laixi, a city in eastern Shandong province, artisans making delicate, flower-shaped steamed buns now use 3D-printed molds to satisfy high holiday demand with greater precision.
Meanwhile, in Jingdezhen, a city renowned as China’s “porcelain capital” in Jiangxi province, artists are blending AI modeling and 3D printing with historic glazing techniques to produce innovative ceramics.
Official statistics from China’s National Bureau of Statistics reveal that 3D printing equipment production increased by 52.5% in 2025. Notably, the technology is becoming increasingly critical in advanced manufacturing, especially for industrial components. “As printing technologies and materials improve, more clients are turning to us for custom industrial parts,” Li stated.
Industry data supports Li’s view. The Additive Manufacturing Alliance of China reports that the country’s 3D printing manufacturing sector expanded from CNY 20.8 billion (around USD 3 billion) to CNY 70 billion during the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-2025).
Yang’s own experience illustrates this broader trend. When he first started in the field, he and his colleagues managed around 500 machines. Two years later, that number increased to 5,000. Following this year’s Spring Festival holiday, the workshop plans to double that figure to 10,000 printers.
While pushing the limits with advanced industrial parts, 3D printing has also become accessible to everyday consumers. The growing popularity of home desktop printers means more people can now create, rather than just buy, their holiday gifts. At a flagship store for Bambu Lab, a consumer tech company specializing in desktop 3D printers, children watched in amazement as a printer slowly built a horse carrying a gold ingot right in front of them.
Yang and his team are experimenting with new product categories, including shoes and basketballs. Recently, Yang tested a new design — a basketball with a surface texture nearly as realistic as leather. When he tried it out, a group of curious children quickly gathered around. “They kept asking questions about 3D printing,” he recalled. “That moment was really rewarding.”
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