Xikong Zhizao launches i3D-AD650S-Z, a 660x660x740mm forge-print metal 3D printer with four forming lasers plus four in-situ strengthening lasers

Xikong Zhizao, a Xi'an-based spinout from Xi'an Jiaotong University's Aero Engine Research Institute, has launched the i3D-AD650S-Z, a 650mm-class laser powder bed fusion machine built on its proprietary forge-print process. The unit measures 7200x4400x4200mm with a 660x660x740mm build volume, running four continuous forming lasers alongside four ultrafast strengthening lasers that peen each layer as it solidifies, at a build rate of 60-120 cm3/h. The company reports the process lifts microhardness on 7075 aluminum alloy by 20-40%, refines grain structure over 30%, and converts residual tensile stress into compressive stress, without changing powder chemistry or adding nucleating agents. Target materials include 7075 high-strength aluminum, nickel-based superalloys, titanium alloys, and stainless steel, aimed at blades, discs, shafts, gears, casings, swirlers, combustors, and boosters for aero engines, rockets, and low-altitude aircraft propulsion.

Forge-print addresses a persistent LPBF weakness: parts with complex internal channels or thin walls tend to crack, warp, or fall short on fatigue strength, forcing manufacturers into separate heat treatment or hot isostatic pressing after printing. By combining forming and strengthening lasers in one pass, Xikong Zhizao positions the process as a same-machine alternative to that post-processing sequence, particularly where fatigue life, not geometry alone, is the qualifying criterion. The company has scaled build size quickly, moving from a 150mm-class unit through 300mm and now 650mm since its first forge-print machine debuted in April 2024, alongside two powder-feed variants, covering lab-scale coupons through production-representative aero-engine hardware within one technology family.

For buyers, the open question is whether in-situ peening survives translation from demonstration coupons to qualification-grade production parts, since fatigue and residual-stress claims require third-party validation and program-specific data packages before they carry weight in aerospace supply chains. As a nationally designated little giant specialized enterprise, Xikong Zhizao's near-term customers are most likely domestic Chinese aero-engine, commercial rocket, and low-altitude economy programs rather than export markets constrained by dual-use export controls.