It may come as no surprise that the biggest companies that manufacture 3D printers in Korea are mostly situated in the Seoul area. As the nation’s capital city, and technological heart, a majority of electronics companies in Korea are centered in and around Seoul. With the exception of a few companies, such as Rokit, most 3D printer manufacturers here only compete inside Korea…but that is about to change.
Daegun Technology Co. Ltd., has been a machine-tool manufacturing company that manufactures chip mounters and cable assembly equipment. They supply some of the largest global corporation with their products, including Samsung, among others. The company is now expanding into the 3D printer market…and bringing its industrial manufacturing and international business experience and resources with it into the 3D printing industry.
Daegun is an original equipment manufacturer (OEM) of with profits around $30 million USD. The company is doing well selling their products to its stable industrial customers and has recorded impressive levels of profit for the last three years in a row… however, the company has been looking for additional opportunities to expand and grow. And then they found 3D printers.
After completing market research and analysis studies, the company decided to jump into 3D printing/additive manufacturing, noticeably targeting the global market (rather than the domestic marktet) with its know-how and experience. Daegun is not a start-up company like OpenCreators or Rokit. It already has two full factories and a capacity to manufacture at least 1000 3D printers per month…and could likely produce more if they sharpen their focus even more on the new 3D printing division.
This company now faces a major change from being an OEM company into an OBM (Original Brand Manufacturing) company by launching two new kinds of products — electrical discharge systems and 3D printers.
The first 3D printer from Daegun Tech is the “MyD” (Make your Design) series that was first unveiled in April here in Korea. To date it has been quietly promoted, mostly to the Korean education market. Starting with more or less 10 main distributors nationwide, they actively sought to supply their products to Korean schools at every level. And rather than competing in the domestic consumer market, they decided to step out globally. Some of their products have been seen in other countries, mostly as private resellings, such as on eBay…but these are not considered ‘exports’ by the company. When they do begin to export their machines, it will be on a scale of at least 1000 units per month and they expressed their confidence that it would be coming soon.
Starting in Japan and Germany, and then expanding to the US and other countries, Daegun plans on expanding into the market quickly. The contacts in Japan and Germany are almost finalized and the products are expected to be shown in those countries later this year. The contracts inside the US are also reported to be going very well and the company expects to launch its 3D printing products there early next year.
Kim Woo-Jong , General Manager of Daegun Tech, who was generous enough to welcome me despite my surprise visit, said, “Some users might feel that our product’s build envelope is a bit small, and I understand that. We are capable of expanding the volume, but what we want to focus on is the quality of the prints and in that we are pretty confident.” Daegun Tech recently attended the Hong Kong Electronics Fair-Autumn Edition and got a warm reception from the public. Apart from that, they are actively attending exhibitions at home and abroad. With their 3D printers’ ease of use, cost effectiveness and high quality prints, they are gaining traction. The 3D printers have acquired KC certification and CE certification. UL certification and PSE certification are currently in progress.
In addition to the consumer desktop market, Daegun Tech is expecting to launch the new ‘MyD S250’ for industrial purposes this coming November as well. Mr. Kim also happily shared his view on the Korean 3D printing market, which he thinks needs to grow. “Some small and medium-sized 3D printer manufacturers in Korea do not like large corporations jumping into the 3D printing industry because they feel like their market share will decline. I, on the other hand, think that without large capital investment in the Korean 3D printing market, the industry will likely stay behind compared to their counterparts in other countries.” He said he wants to see corporations of different sizes, each having their roles and collaborating together, to move the industry forward.
While the specifications of their machines have not been generally published abroad, Mr. Kim was kind enough to provide our readers with the specifications of their 3D printers, which have been translated from Korean and are presented below.
The “MyD S140 Series” (overseas launch price: approximately $1,500 USD)
1. Integral frame with a sealed protective structure. The sheet metal confined build area keeps inside temperatures constant and helps reduce noise.
*In his interview with me, Mr. Kim said that many teachers in school conduct classes while the printer is printing and it doesn’t seem to bother the class thanks to very low noise.
2. Safety. The printer has a door safety system to prevent accidents caused by carelessness. It is good for home users with children. If the build chamber door opens, the printer automatically stops and resumes when the door is closed again.
3. Automatic filament supply system (patent registered). This is one feature that seems to make this printer distinctive and more convenient to use. In addition, the machine uses a professional-level LM system and precise stepper motors to guarantee higher quality prints.
4. A printbed separation system. Once the print is done, the user can check and remove the print easily from the bed.
5. Filament supply system is embedded in the printer. This makes the printer look simple and compact.
6. PLA, ABS, or NYLON with various colors can be used.
7. The frame comes in four colors: White, Sky blue, Wine, or Silver
Similar to the S140, but having the benefit of confined form, the top is made of transparent polycarbonate (only for S160c model), so that the printing process can be easily monitored. The “MyD S160” (overseas launch price: approximately $2,000 USD)
