Hunan-based Storm 3D Printing achieves mass production of two sand 3D printing models and 512-nozzle printheads

Storm 3D Printing, a subsidiary of Aisikai (300521.SZ) based in Hunan, China, has announced mass production of two sand 3D printing models — the Storm S1800 and BTHS2515 — along with its proprietary 512-nozzle printhead. The company reports that the 512-nozzle printhead is now in stable volume production, enabling 100% localization of its sand mold printer supply chain, and has begun external sales. A 1024-nozzle printhead has completed verification and entered small-batch production, with multiple droplet-size variants under customer testing. In 2025, Aisikai's 3D printing equipment revenue rose 53.36% year-over-year, contributing to total revenue of RMB 194 million ($27 million). The company's overseas sales network covers 70+ countries through seven distributors, with international revenue reaching RMB 72 million ($10 million), representing 37.14% of total revenue at a 44.92% gross margin.

This development fits the Chinese localization arc pattern, where a domestic entrant systematically replaces imported components — in this case, industrial printheads — to achieve full supply-chain independence and cost advantage. Sand binder jetting occupies a specific niche in the AM value chain: it serves foundry tooling, architectural molds, and low-volume metal casting patterns, where speed and large build volume matter more than fine resolution. Storm's ability to scale its own printhead production addresses a critical dependency point, as industrial printheads have historically been sourced from Western suppliers like Xaar, Fujifilm Dimatix, or Konica Minolta. The 512-nozzle milestone, combined with the 1024-nozzle progression, signals that Storm is moving beyond simple assembly into printhead-level vertical integration — a move that could compress costs for sand casting end-users in automotive, energy, and heavy equipment verticals. The company's 53% revenue growth in 3D printing equipment, while from a small base, suggests that domestic sand binder jetting demand is accelerating, likely driven by China's broader push to modernize its foundry and tooling industries.

From a practical standpoint, Storm's achievement is a supply-chain de-risking step for Chinese sand casting AM, not a technology breakthrough that changes the global competitive landscape overnight. The sand binder jetting market remains fragmented and price-sensitive, with established players like voxeljet (Germany) and ExOne/Desktop Metal (US) having longer track records in production environments. Storm's next execution challenge is converting its printhead localization into reliable, repeatable print quality across customer sites — printhead reliability and service life are the real metrics that matter in production foundry use. For buyers evaluating sand AM solutions, Storm's offering becomes a credible low-cost alternative, but should be benchmarked against uptime data and material compatibility, not just nozzle count.