14 3D Printers, a Smart Factory, a 3D Printing School, and More: A Closer Look at Winbo Smart Tech Co. Ltd

Some 3D printing companies focus on one specialty – manufacturing printers, offering printing services, selling materials, etc. Winbo Smart Tech Co., Ltd., however, doesn’t believe in limitations. The Chinese company does it all. They manufacture and sell printers, scanners, and materials. They offer a large marketplace of 3D models, including housewares, office supplies, toys, and accessories. They’re a service bureau, a platform for makers, and a research and development company. They’ve even opened a school entirely dedicated to 3D printing. 

So, yes, Winbo does it all. It would be a gross understatement to say that they think big – everything about the company is expansive. Located in the Chinese province of Guangzhou, Winbo’s manufacturing facilities look more like a college campus, complete with an employee dormitory. Their workspace takes up a good 20,000 square meters and includes the main factory where printers and materials are manufactured, as well as the “Smart Micro-Factory.”

The Winbo Smart Micro-Factory is where the company’s 3D model platform comes to life – and their 3D models are no mere trinkets, either. Among the offerings on Winbo’s model platform are full-sized, functional furniture pieces and sets, including stools, chairs, and storage items, sold in both physical form and as 3D files to print at home. We took a look at some of their furniture last year, and it’s impressive, with sturdy design and beautiful, intricate detail. (They’ve even created a 3D printed throne, so you can rule your home in royal fashion.)

The Smart Micro-Factory, rather than just being an average model manufacturing facility, is a space with a lot of planned growth. Winbo has their eyes on smart technology, green manufacturing techniques, and robotics, in keeping with their goal of being a shining example of the future of manufacturing.

“Under the guideline of Industrial Revolution 4.0 Thinking, Winbo Smart has been sparing no effort to build up Winbo Smart Micro-Factory which accords with the demands of ‘global design, local production’ distributed manufacturing model, energy conservation, high efficiency, small batches and personalization,” the company states.

If any company is going to set itself apart as a beacon of frontier technology, it’s Winbo – based on their 3D printer offerings alone. Their inventory currently includes well over a dozen 3D printers, and several of them are truly unique – I’ve never seen multiple 3D printers contained in a single unit, or a printer with eight nozzles. Let’s take a closer look at some of them:

Consumer Printers

Winbo’s consumer desktop 3D printers consist of four models, from the compact Mini to the large dual-nozzle Cooper printer. Designed for home and school use, as well as small manufacturing and product design facilities, the consumer printers are portable, energy-efficient, and high-precision: all four of them offer a resolution of 0.06 mm. Models include:

• Mini: a portable, compact, user friendly printer with a build area of 205 x 155 x 155 mm
• Value: larger than the Mini, it’s still portable and easy to use, with a build area of 305 x 205 x 305 mm
• Cooper (S): a dual-nozzle, two-color printer with a build area of 255 x 205 x 205 mm
• Cooper (L): a larger version of the dual nozzle printer, with a build area of 305 x 205 x 305 mm

Industrial Printers

Winbo’s industrial category includes six printers, and one of their main distinctions is that they’re fast. Print speed is 60-150 mm/s; according to Winbo, they’re 8-30 times faster than desktop models. Geared at offices, manufacturing facilities, and schools, the industrial category includes:

• Tiger (S): the smallest product in the industrial category, with a build size of 458 x 305 x 305 mm
• Tiger (L): the larger version of the Tiger, with a build area of 610 x 458 x 305 mm
• Tiger (XL): the biggest in the wide-build Tiger series, with a build area of 915 x 610 x 610 mm
• Dragon (S): the vertically oriented answer to the Tiger series, featuring a build area of 458 x 305 x 508 mm
• Dragon (L): the larger Dragon, with a build area of 610 x 458 x 610 mm
• Dragon (XL): an impressively large printer with a build area of 915 x 610 x 1220 mm

After the consumer and industrial printers are Winbo’s specialty compound models, which are really something to behold. There’s a four-nozzle printer that offers the speed of the industrial category, and an eight-nozzle machine built for precision. Another machine is actually six printers in one, followed by a nine-printer unit; these two are ingenious ideas, in my opinion, designed to facilitate batch production in a small space. Surprisingly compact, they’re basically just multiple printers stacked on top of each other in a metal frame on wheels – they’re each about the size of a smallish industrial printer.

In addition to their printers, Winbo offers multiple colors of PLA, ABS, and PETG filament, plus a portable 3D scanner. They’re not done yet – Winbo will be introducing a new printer soon, which we’ll be taking a close look at when it’s released. Check out their incredible nine-unit 3D printer in action below, and discuss further in the WInbo 3D Printing forum over at 3DPB.com.