3D Controls
Develops and manufactures ceramic 3D printers and provides custom ceramic 3D printing services for high-precision ceramic parts with complex geometries, targeting dental, jewelry, medical, semiconductor, and advanced industrial applications.
- CEO / Founder
- Sang-kyu Lee (이상규)
- Team Size
- 11-50
- Stage
- Active
Technology & Products
Key Products
TD6 ceramic 3D printer; Ceraluxe ceramic 3D printing service; Custom ceramic parts manufacturing; Ceramic 3D printing materials; Dedicated sintering furnace; Polisher
Technical position · AMPulse analysis
Proprietary ceramic 3D printing technology for high-viscosity materials, with patents including KR200491716 for a 3D cartridge supplying stick-type metal and ceramic materials. The company has completed CE certification for its ceramic 3D printer, sintering furnace, and polisher, and is actively publishing research on zirconia-based photopolymerization additive manufacturing for dental applications.
Patent position
3D Controls filed 1 patent family in 2022 to 2024, down from 16 in 2019 to 2021, a fall of 94% against a 26% fall in tracked AM filings in the same patent offices. AMPulse analysis
- Filing momentum
- 1 families filed 2022–2024, 16 in 2019–2021 (-94%); all tracked AM filings in the same offices -26%
- Filed in
- KR 63%WO 22%EP 7%US 7%CN 4%
- Named competitors, AM patent families
- 3DCeram Sinto 11Lithoz 12Admatec 15
27 AM patent families in total. Recent years are still being published, so read a filing change against the same-office figure.
Differentiation
Value Proposition
Reduces time and cost of producing high-precision ceramic parts with complex geometries compared to conventional manufacturing, enabling low-volume production and rapid prototyping of advanced ceramics.
How They Differentiate
Focuses on high-viscosity ceramic materials like zirconia with a heated cylindrical vat system, differentiating from competitors through specialized dental and jewelry applications and in-house developed materials and processes.
Market & Competition
Target Customers
Dental labs, jewelry manufacturers, medical device companies, semiconductor equipment makers, and advanced industrial manufacturers requiring high-precision ceramic components.
Industry Verticals
Dental; Jewelry; Medical; Advanced Industrial; Semiconductor Equipment; Electric Vehicles; Aerospace
Competitors
3DCeram-Sinto; Lithoz; Admatec
Growth & Milestones
Growth Metrics
Evidence of active research collaboration and product usage in dental applications (multiple peer-reviewed studies published 2023–2025 using 3D Controls Co Ltd printers for zirconia crowns). Company address listed as Suwon 16710, Korea in one publication (Wiley), while other sources indicate Busan — suggesting possible multi-site operations or relocation. No revenue, employee count, or production volume figures disclosed.
Major Milestones
2014: Company founded; 2020: Patent for 3D cartridge; 2025: Exhibited at AM CHINA 2025 and CERAMICS CHINA 2025; 2025: Completed CE certification for ceramic 3D printer, sintering furnace, and polisher; 2025: Exhibited at Formnext 2025
Notable Customers
Dental industry (zirconia crowns, dental materials) — cited in multiple peer-reviewed dental studies (e.g., '3D printed zirconia used as dental materials: a critical review', 'The effect of cyclic loading on the fracture resistance of 3D-printed and CAD/CAM milled zirconia crowns', 'Build angle effect on 3D-printed dental crowns marginal fit', 'Marginal gap and internal fit of 3D printed versus milled monolithic zirconia crowns', 'Marginal and internal fit accuracy of single-crown restorations') — indicating use in dental research and clinical applications.
Recent coverage of 3D Controls
- 3D Controls presented its ceramic 3D printing ecosystem at Ceramitec 2026, joining 485 companies from 38 countries.amenews.kr
- 3D Controls has expanded its Busan headquarters into a production-ready FAB, completing a strategic triangular manufactu...amenews.kr
- South Korea is redefining manufacturing standards as the domestic advanced ceramic market reaches 80 trillion KRW, or 20...amenews.kr
- 3D Controls and KICET completed their 2025 advanced ceramic 3D printing training, expanding to three annual sessions in...amenews.kr
- South Korean ceramic AM firm 3D Controls is scaling its Indian operations following a key appearance at RAICGC 2025.amenews.kr
AM patents
AM-relevant patents linked to this company.
- Patents
- 30
- Granted
- 18
- Families
- 27
Leading domains: process (30), equipment (27), material (14)
Filings by year: 2024: 1 · 2021: 6 · 2020: 5 · 2019: 6 · 2018: 3 · 2016: 2
- 블레이드 엣지부 각도 전환이 가능한 3차원 프린터 및 그의 동작 방법1024292520000 · KR
- METHOD FOR MANUFACTURING OXIDE DISPERSION STRENGTHENED ALLOY USING ORGANIC/INORGANIC MIXED COMPOSITION AS RAW MATERIAL2020032777 · WO
- 고점도 재료를 사용하는 바텀업 방식의 3D 프린팅 장치 및 그의 제어 방법1023162130000 · KR
- 3D PRINTER VAT FOR HANDLING HIGH-VISCOSITY RESIN04371736 · EP
- 세라믹 재료를 이용한 3차원 프린팅 장치1025167350000 · KR