Skip to main content

KOCEL Group

HardwareYinchuan, Ningxia, ChinaFounded 1966· One of 1636 Hardware companies tracked by AMPulse

Kocel (共享装备) is one of China's largest additive manufacturing companies, specializing in industrial-scale binder jetting 3D printing for sand casting molds and cores, with global #1 market share in super sand mold 3D printers.

CEO / Founder
Peng Fan (彭凡)
Team Size
1001-5000
Stage
Public
Total Funding
$115.9M
Latest Round
Post-IPO
Key Investors
宁夏产业引导基金管理中心（有限公司）; Public shareholders

Technology & Products

Key Products

KOCEL AJS 1800/2500/4000 Sand 3D Printers, KOCEL Metal Binder Jetting Printers, KOCEL Ceramic 3D Printers, Cast iron & steel parts (Fortune 500 clients), Smart factory solutions, Industrial cloud services

Technical position · AMPulse analysis

Global leader in binder jetting for sand casting molds with 1,600+ patents; invented world's first super sand mold 3D printer; exported to Japan and Europe.

Patent position

KOCEL's Equipment share of patent families fell from 100% in filings from 2019 to 2021 to 66% in filings from 2022 to 2024, and its 126 families across all years exceed voxeljet's 104, ExOne's 118 and Desktop Metal's 102, while Stratasys has 494. AMPulse analysis

Filing momentum
52 families filed 2022–2024, 8 in 2019–2021
Focus, 2019–2021 → 2022–2024
Equipment 100% → 66%
Filed in
CN 79%WO 11%EP 9%US 6%JP 2%
Named competitors, AM patent families
voxeljet 104ExOne 118Desktop Metal 102Stratasys 494

126 AM patent families in total. Recent years are still being published, so read a filing change against the same-office figure.

Differentiation

Value Proposition

Provides turnkey solutions for binder jetting 3D printing, including design, manufacturing, monitoring, remote operation/maintenance, and full-process casting 3D printing for serial metal parts production, transforming traditional sand casting to green, intelligent, high-quality processes with over 20 production lines and multiple digital foundries established in China.

How They Differentiate

Offers 3D printer-specific motion modules reducing vibration by 30% at a lower cost point than Japanese imports.

Market & Competition

Target Customers

Industries including military, aviation (aerospace), automotive, and energy; serves markets in China, Japan, Europe, and other regions via sales/application centers.

Industry Verticals

Aerospace, Energy (gas turbines, nuclear, hydro), Automotive, Defense, Heavy Machinery, Mining

Competitors

Voxeljet; ExOne (Desktop Metal); Stratasys (casting)

Growth & Milestones

Growth Metrics

200+ units of 3D printers sold across China, Japan, Europe, and other regions; established over 20 3D printing production lines and multiple digital foundries in China; international sales and application centers in numerous countries.

Major Milestones

2002: Founded core business operations; 2022: IPO on Shenzhen Stock Exchange (301211.SZ) raising ~RMB 500 million; 2023: Achieved annual revenue of RMB 1.2 billion

Notable Customers

Siemens Energy; GE Vernova; Baker Hughes; Wabtec; EDF; Metso

https://www.kocel.com

Recent coverage of KOCEL Group

AM patents

AM-relevant patents linked to this company.

Patents
136
Granted
11
Families
126

Leading domains: process (135), equipment (67), material (52)

Filings by year: 2026: 2 · 2025: 52 · 2024: 27 · 2023: 21 · 2022: 5 · 2020: 4

  1. Ink temperature control system and 3D printing system118404815 · CN
  2. Inner cylinder sand mold and forming method of eccentric single core head of inner cylinder sand mold120920667 · CN
  3. Casting method of oil pipe structure casting120696369 · CN
  4. Ink box for printing and 3D printing head119898029 · CN
  5. Alcohol-based binder as well as preparation method and use method thereof119035538 · CN

Funding rounds

  • IPO$69.4M2022-03Source: 企查查 - March 2022
  • Pre-IPO$46.5M2021-12Source: 竞天公诚律师事务所 - February 2022

Why this company matters

AMPulse analysis, not a company disclosure

Kocel is a Chinese additive manufacturing hardware company that has built the world's largest installed base of binder jetting printers for sand casting molds and cores. Founded in 1966 as a traditional foundry in Yinchuan, Ningxia, the company pivoted into 3D printing and now claims the top global market share in super sand mold binder jetting. It has sold over 200 printers across China, Japan, and Europe, and operates more than 20 production lines and multiple digital foundries domestically.

The company's core technology is binder jetting for sand, metal, and ceramic materials. Its product line includes the AJS 1800, 2500, and 4000 sand printers, as well as metal binder jetting printers like the AJM 500 series. Kocel also provides turnkey smart factory solutions, industrial cloud services, and full-process casting 3D printing for serial metal parts production. The company holds over 500 patents globally, including European patents for binder jetting print heads and methods.

Kocel serves aerospace, energy, automotive, defense, heavy machinery, and mining customers. Named clients include Siemens Energy, GE Vernova, Baker Hughes, Wabtec, EDF, and Metso. The company has also partnered with MAZAK, Toshiba, and MHI. Its technology moat includes proprietary motion modules that reduce vibration by 30% at a lower cost than Japanese imports, and it has exported printers to Japan and Europe.

A key open question is how successfully Kocel can scale its metal binder jetting business beyond sand casting. While its sand printing dominance is established, metal binder jetting faces competition from ExOne (Desktop Metal) and Voxeljet. The company's 2022 IPO on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange raised approximately RMB 500 million, and it reported annual revenue of RMB 1.2 billion in 2023.