Anycubic’s CTO, James Ouyang, took some time during the recent Formnext to provide a detailed look at how consumer 3D printing is diverging across global markets, with China becoming both the fastest-growing and the most demanding environment. Our last meeting in Shenzhen was dominated by talk of desktop resin models; meeting in Frankfurt, Anycubic arrived with a portfolio built for speed, materials performance, and a far more demanding customer base.
User expectations, emerging education policies, and intensifying competition are reshaping the company’s strategy, pushing it to refine its core platforms and use events such as Formnext as data-gathering laboratories for future products. This marks a progression from the firm’s 2023 description of itself as “transitioning from market-driven to technology-driven,” with the latest product decisions showing that transition now embedded operationally.
Product launches signal a move into higher-performance applications
Anycubic used Formnext 2025 to signal a shift towards higher-performance polymer and resin systems, expanding its portfolio beyond hobbyist machines. The company introduced three products, two FFF and one resin, aimed at distinct segments, ranging from entry-level multi-colour devices to enclosed systems capable of engineering-grade output. This represents a notable broadening from the 2023 focus on resin users seeking fine detail and surface quality.
The new Kobra S1 Max is positioned as a large-format FFF system for functional parts. The machine offers a 350 by 350 by 350 mm build volume and incorporates a full thermal management architecture, including a chamber heater, 120°C heated bed, high-temperature nozzles, and a heated filament box. These capabilities reflect the company’s pivot from a resin-first strategy to engineering-grade FFF, a shift driven by competitive pressure that Ouyang first hinted at in 2023. He said the combination is intended to make other demanding polymers viable on a desktop platform. “It can handle engineering-grade materials because of the whole heat management system,” he said, adding that the system is designed to remove the need for splitting large components into multiple sections.
Multi-material ambitions shape the entry-level segment
Alongside the enclosed unit, the company unveiled Kobra X, an open-frame entry-level FFF 3D printer designed for rapid multi-material and multi-colour changes. Instead of using an external filament box, all mechanisms are integrated into the print head. The company has reduced the hot-end purging path to limit waste, supported by new colour-switching algorithms. This development addresses the “ease-of-use and speed” priorities Ouyang identified in 2023, but now extends those principles into multi-material workflows. Ouyang said the optimisation lowers filament losses by up to 60 percent. “We reduced the purging molten section to a very short length,” he explained, describing this as central to achieving faster transitions and lower consumable costs. The Kobra X supports the use of 4 materials in a print run.
Anycubic is also targeting professional resin users with the Photon P1, a system able to process resins with viscosities up to 8000 cP. The machine is aimed at advanced applications, including elastomers and toughened resins for functional parts. In contrast to the 2023 emphasis on aesthetic detail and model-making, Anycubic is now promoting resin systems for engineering applications, including footwear prototypes and dental materials. Ouyang noted that the system has already produced complete shoe prototypes in the firm’s lab. Dental workflows are another focus, with Anycubic positioning the machine to meet requirements for high-viscosity specialist materials.
The company’s broader strategy reflects a bifurcation in its user base. FFF remains dominant among new entrants, while demand for higher-performance polymer and resin systems grows among designers and professional users. This dual-track strategy is more explicit than in 2023, when user segmentation was less clearly articulated. “We keep one direction in the entry-level segment, but we also see a trend from hobbyists to creators or professionals,” Ouyang said. As a result, the firm continues to support low-cost products while expanding into more capable devices for engineering functions.
Competition intensifies; software becomes a battleground
Competition in the consumer and prosumer segments has intensified since Anycubic was founded in 2015, with Bambu Lab and Creality now well-established global players. Ouyang said customer feedback and R&D investment are central to differentiation, a continuation of his 2023 claim that “the only way is to put more resources in R&D.” Software has become a renewed priority after earlier criticism of slicers and workflow integration. “We recognised areas for improvement in previous software versions,” he said. Anycubic has expanded its internal testing team and deployed beta devices to external users to resolve issues before launch, addressing one of the structural weaknesses identified two years earlier.
Tariffs reshape US positioning and supply-chain strategy
Market conditions remain challenging, particularly in the United States following the introduction of higher import tariffs on Chinese manufacturing equipment. Ouyang said the company has maintained competitive pricing by holding inventory in US warehouses, but in the longer term, the firm may need structural responses, including overseas production. “Maybe we have to build a factory outside of China,” he said, though price adjustments also remain an option.
Anycubic sees significant differences in how consumer 3D printing has developed in China compared with Europe and the United States. In 2023, Ouyang described a resin-led global market with relatively uniform hobbyist interest; today, he identifies divergent cultural behaviours. Domestic demand has accelerated sharply, driven partly by new entrants that helped normalise desktop machines. “The market in China is growing really fast,” he said. User behaviour differs as well. Ouyang described Chinese buyers as “more detail-oriented”, with expectations shaped by limited space, not so much interest in DIY modification, and limited free time. This contrasts with Western hobbyists who often operate multiple machines and undertake mechanical modifications. Government support for schools and youth programmes is, however, helping to broaden adoption through STEAM curricula, robotics clubs, and printing-related activities.
Formnext becomes a live test environment
Formnext remains a key reference point for the company’s international strategy. Anycubic uses the exhibition to showcase products and gauge market sentiment and pricing expectations. This represents a follow-through from the 2023 ambition to become “product-driven”: the company now uses trade fairs for structured validation work. Ouyang said face-to-face feedback is essential for finalising specifications. “For the Kobra X we ask their impressions and their ideal price tag,” he said, noting that the company uses the show to test early reactions before commercial launch.
Reflecting on the company’s progress, Ouyang said Anycubic spent its first seven years focused almost entirely on resin systems before a strategic shift towards FFF machines. Competition from newer brands forced a reallocation of resources. “We realised we have to change our strategy,” he said. This shift echoes the competitive pressures he acknowledged in 2023, but the new product lineup shows a deeper commitment to FFF development. The company now intends to concentrate on both entry-level and professional FFF devices for at least the next three years, refining existing platforms rather than expanding into industrial markets.
Focus over diversification and 3D printing as a future household utility
Asked whether Anycubic might follow competitors building fibre-reinforced FFF printers or lower-cost SLS systems, Ouyang said the company had no near-term plans to diversify into those segments. This echoes his earlier statement that “it is more valuable when you choose not to do that thing,” reflecting a disciplined focus. He acknowledged the growing availability of industrial features at consumer price points but said Anycubic still has “a lot of things we haven’t done well” in its core categories. The next phase of the roadmap focuses on improving reliability, materials handling, and software across current resin and FFF lines.
Looking ahead, Ouyang expects consumer printing to become embedded in daily life as performance improves and costs fall. This expands on his 2023 suggestion that desktop printing would remain a household tool, now tied to an economic threshold: adoption will accelerate once printed parts can be produced faster and cheaper than mass-market alternatives. “Eventually, you will print a product if it is faster and cheaper than buying it,” he said, projecting broader material compatibility and more durable output as key factors.
Asked what advice he would give his earlier self at the company’s founding, he paused before offering a straightforward assessment: “Listen more to the customers. Put more resources into R&D.” Two years earlier, this was a strategic principle; today it is a retrospective conclusion shaped by competitive pressure and product expansion.
The insights from Anycubic point to a consumer sector that is fragmenting by geography and maturing as rising expectations for reliability, material performance, and software quality drive greater differentiation. The contrast with the company’s 2023 positioning reveals an evolution from resin-centric hobbyist machines to a broader portfolio addressing functional, professional, and multi-material needs. Anycubic’s emphasis on focused R&D, real-world user feedback, and disciplined platform development suggests that the next wave of adoption will come not only from new 3D printers but from tightening the link between customer needs, materials capability, and economic advantage.
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Featured image shows James Ouyang CTO of Anycubic. Photo by Michael Petch.
