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Chinese investors and institutions have shown strong interest in 3-D printing. The country's 3-D printing sector has gained incredible momentum thanks to media exposure, strengthened public awareness and a favorable development environment promoted by the government and more experienced players.

Because of a natural connection with technology research and development, students and teachers at leading Chinese universities, including Tsinghua, Beihang University and Huazhong University of Sciences and Technology, are emerging as the first group to make serious businesses out of 3-D printing.

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According to the China Securities Journal, the number of 3-D printing firms globally stands at about 100, and close to 40 are China-based. University professors, and increasingly graduates, are founders or core team members of many of the firms.

Traditional manufacturers, especially those located in southern China, form the other group that makes up the 3-D printing industry.

Lai Weilian, director of Bondale Electronics Ltd, an electronics company in Huizhou, Guangdong province, said his company has started producing smaller desktop 3-D printers for schools.

The industry usually divides 3-D printers into two categories: industrial systems and personal systems. Most of the personal, or desktop, 3-D printers worldwide are priced below $5,000, and Lai's machines cost even less, at no more than $1,000 per unit.

"Schools buy our systems to demonstrate to students, inspiring the youth to try more innovative things," said Lai. The personal 3-D printer market has a much lower threshold for newcomers as it is built on the RepRap open-source platform, similar to the mobile phone industry's Android platform, which permits players to share code.

Chinese companies and individuals have thronged to the 3-D printing field with the belief that it is the next "big thing", similar to the development of the semiconductor, computer and the Internet. In addition, the area is very new, meaning there is less competition and that whoever moves fast can gain an upper hand over rivals.

The market for 3-D printing in 2012, consisting of all products and services globally, grew 28.6 percent year-on-year to $2.2 billion, according to a report by Wohlers Associates, a consulting firm that specializes in 3-D printing research.

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