462In recent years, the global 3D printing market has shown enormous development potential.
According to data from grandviewresearch, the global 3D printing market size was estimated at $20.37 billion in 2023, and is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 23.5% from 2024 to 2030. By 2030, the global 3D printing market size is expected to reach $34.5 billion.
Image source: grandviewresearch
With continuous technological updates and increasingly diversified market demands, especially in Europe and the United States, the prevalence of geek culture has made 3D printers a hot "new toy," driving rapid expansion of this niche market. Today, the consumer-grade 3D printing market has become a new golden track for cross-border e-commerce, and 3D printing technology is gradually moving from traditional industrial applications to everyday consumer applications.
Against this industry backdrop, a 3D printing brand from Jinhua, China, keenly captured the business opportunity. With precise insight into market trends and solid product strength, it quickly seized overseas market opportunities, established a foothold in the cross-border e-commerce sector, and successfully captured a considerable market share.
According to rocketreach.co, the brand's total revenue in 2024 exceeded $15.4 million, equivalent to about RMB 110 million. Its business covers more than 200 countries and regions worldwide, with over 1,000 brand distributors, and has established a complete industry chain covering 3D design software, printers, consumables, and services.
It isFlashforge.
Image source: Flashforge
Brand Origin: From Tech Enthusiasts to Global Players
According to reports, Flashforge is a globally renowned 3D printing company from Jinhua, China, founded in 2011. Although the founding team did not have a professional background, they successfully launched cost-effective 3D printers through their passion and persistence for technology, independent R&D, dismantling foreign equipment, and participating in technical forums.
Since 2012, Flashforge has focused on overseas markets and accelerated its global layout. With the advantage of cost-effective products, it successfully entered major markets such as Europe and the United States, with overseas sales quickly rising to account for two-thirds of total brand sales.
Over the following decade, the brand continued to increase investment in R&D, established automated production lines and professional laboratories, and deeply integrated product iteration with market demand. Through continuous innovation and optimization, it consolidated its leading position in the global 3D printing market, providing products and services that better meet the needs of global users.
Image source: Flashforge
Product Strength Breakthrough: How Technology Translates into User Language
In the field of 3D printing, high precision and ease of use are core user demands. Flashforge’s solution is to lower the professional threshold through technological innovation, allowing ordinary people to play with 3D printing.
Take the R series released in 2025 as an example, which is equipped with digital light processing technology (DLP) that achieves ±65μm precision, equivalent to the diameter of a strand of hair. A larger forming space supports simultaneous printing of multiple small parts, and the four-axis gantry structure improves positioning accuracy by 30%, making homemade model details more realistic.
Moreover, Flashforge has consumerized industrial-grade technology, using more than 20 sensors to monitor the printing process in real time and dynamically adjust parameters. Users do not need professional training; just plug in and use. This approach of "leaving complexity to engineers and simplicity to users" has quickly built a reputation for the brand among overseas geek circles.
Image source: Flashforge
Social Media Marketing: Seeding Global Users with Real-Life Scenarios
The core of Flashforge’s overseas marketing strategy is to "let the product speak for itself."
1. TikTok: Dual Approach of Short Videos and Livestreams
Flashforge uses the phenomenon-level social media platform TikTok as its core base for attracting young consumers. As of now, the official TikTok account @flashforge_official has accumulated 14,100 followers and 130,100 likes.
Image source: TikTok
The account mainly publishes creative short videos showcasing product features. The content is very simple, using the most intuitive operation and user experience to convey a core message: with Flashforge’s 3D printer, users can easily create various items needed in daily life according to their own needs, such as phone stands, stress-relief toys, fruit knives, belts, drink cup holders, coasters, wooden combs, etc.
This authentic and life-oriented content helps the brand capture users’ interests and pain points, enabling them to better understand product functions and thus attract potential users’ attention.
Image source: TikTok
For example, the most viewed video on the account shows a consumer using a Flashforge 3D printer to make a practical phone stand. So far, it has received 3.6 million views and 41,800 likes. Many users showed interest and commented: "This is a great idea!" "Looks pretty good." Many potential consumers were successfully seeded, directly asking: "Where can I buy it?"
Image source: TikTok
In addition to attracting potential users through creative short videos, Flashforge also actively uses livestream selling to further close the distance with consumers.
During livestreams, hosts demonstrate the production process, usage, and creative applications of 3D printing products to users one-on-one. To stimulate purchase intent, the brand also offers limited-time discounts, full reduction offers, and giveaways.
This "seeing is believing" marketing approach allows consumers to intuitively feel the practical value of the product, invisibly boosting purchase confidence.
Image source: TikTok
2. YouTube: Influencer Reviews Activate Professional Circles
On YouTube, targeting more hardcore geek groups, Flashforge collaborates with influencers in 3D printing, laser engraving, model assembly, etc., showcasing products through unboxing, reviews, and creative use, leveraging influencer impact to precisely reach target user groups.
For example, collaborating with tech blogger Ricky lmpey, who has 63,000 subscribers, to shoot a super detailed unboxing and test video for the Flashforge Adventurer 5M Pro 3D printer, which reached 120,000 views.
Image source: YouTube
Many users left comments below the video:
"I'm the kind of person who wants and needs a plug-and-play 3D printer. I mainly use 3D printers to make components for products I make and sell. Planning to replace at least 2 Adventurer3Pros with Adventurer5M Pro machines in the future. I only use Flashforge printers."
"A year ago my wife wanted a device that could print what she wanted and then quietly sit on the table until needed again. Flashforge is exactly the printer she wanted, perfect for her needs."
Some users who have already purchased and used it even said, "Bought it 5 months ago, it allows viewing the camera via Wi-Fi and sending files to the printer, works great!"
It can be seen that this kind of promotion endorsed by third-party influencers makes it easier for users to be seeded and try purchasing.
Image source: YouTube
Independent Website: From Platform Dependence to Channel Control
To establish a solid foothold in overseas markets, Flashforge has adopted a diversified sales channel layout. In addition to actively expanding business on global e-commerce platforms such as Amazon and eBay, it has also carefully built its own overseas independent website.
On the homepage of the independent website, Flashforge showcases rich product information such as 3D printing farms, provides users with professional white papers and comprehensive after-sales support services. At the same time, by displaying a large number of customer cases, it intuitively presents product performance and value, and highlights its own advantages through comparison with similar products, accurately reaching user needs.
In addition, the construction of the independent website also brings extra security for the brand. When third-party e-commerce platforms have purchase restrictions or other issues, users can seamlessly switch to the independent website to place orders, ensuring a smooth shopping experience.
Image source: Flashforge
Conclusion
The story of Flashforge going global is essentially a testament to pragmatic innovation. When "Made in China" is no longer stuck in price wars, but instead reconstructs competitiveness through technological accumulation and user-centric thinking, the doors of the global market are always open.
For domestic brands, instead of competing in the red ocean, it is better to focus on the broader overseas battlefield. This path may be wider than imagined!
