Stratasys has partnered with Aurora Office Automation in China to distribute the company’s Idea Series entry-level 3D printers, saying that personal 3D printers have hit the mainstream.
"China is one of the fastest growing markets in the Asia Pacific region,” said Jonathan Jaglom, Stratasys’s general manager for Asia Pacific and Japan, in a statement.
"The Chinese government's plan to promote 3D printing technologies to boost its manufacturing power and drive high value-adding manufacturing effort has helped increase industry and general awareness in the value of 3D printing.
"As 3D printing goes mainstream, we have adopted the strategy to make our technology more assessable to customers."
The partnership will see Aurora distribute and provide service (including consumables) for the Idea Series, which includes the Mojo, uPrint SE and uPrint SE Plus machines, starting January 1, 2014.
3D printing has grown strongly in the region in recent years, with Stratasys also beginning operations in Singapore in response to this at the start of the month.
Terry Wohlers, founder of Wohlers Associates – which has published a closely-watched annual report on global trends in the industry for a quarter of a century – recently noted that major growth in the technology would occur “in Asia in general, but China in particular.”
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