Xaar opens APAC headquarters with inkjet labs for industrial 3D printing in Dongguan
Hardware
Originally reported by 3Druck
British inkjet specialist Xaar has opened its new Asia-Pacific headquarters in the Songshan Lake Hi-Tech Industrial Development Zone in Dongguan, China. The facility consolidates sales, technical service, a Technology and Innovation Centre, ink supply system manufacturing, printhead assembly, and dedicated labs for ink and waveform development. CEO John Mills stated the investment brings Xaar closer to OEM partners and customers across the region, enabling faster innovation cycles for industrial applications including additive manufacturing, EV battery coatings, ceramic digital glazes, and automotive glass printing.
This expansion reflects the ongoing shift of inkjet technology from legacy graphic arts into functional industrial deposition, where precise droplet control of high-viscosity fluids, binders, and functional pastes is critical for 3D printing processes. Xaar's technologies-Ultra High Viscosity, High Laydown, and TF Technology-target the controlled application of larger material volumes, which is directly relevant to binder jetting and material jetting AM segments. By localizing ink and waveform development in China, Xaar shortens customer-specific material tuning cycles, a key bottleneck in industrial AM adoption. The move also aligns with the broader pattern of Western component suppliers establishing deeper local engineering and manufacturing footprints in China to serve the region's rapidly scaling AM OEM ecosystem.
For the AM industry, the practical takeaway is that inkjet printhead capability is becoming a more integrated part of production system design, not just a commodity component. Xaar's ability to deliver application-specific waveform and fluid expertise locally will determine whether this investment translates into design wins with Chinese AM OEMs building binder jetting and material jetting platforms. The company must now demonstrate that its localized labs can accelerate customer qualification cycles faster than competitors like Fujifilm Dimatix or Ricoh can match from remote R&D centers.
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