Series 8 of the Top 50 Opportunities in Chinese Private Dental Healthcare | UNIZ Leverages LCD-Based Vat Photopolymerization 3D Printing Technology to Unlock New Operational Paradigms in Dental Care

KPMG China’s Top 50 Private Dental Healthcare Enterprises is part of the KPMG China Healthcare 50 series. KPMG China has long maintained a close focus on the development trends of China’s healthcare industry. Through this public welfare initiative in the dental sector, we aim to identify outstanding benchmark enterprises in the dental healthcare market, facilitate the healthy growth of more high-quality private dental healthcare providers, and jointly explore new trends for the future development of China’s dental healthcare market from a global perspective, thereby supporting the transformation and rise of China’s dental healthcare industry.

To support the “Top 50 Private Dental Healthcare Enterprises in China” initiative, KPMG China has specially curated and launched the “Dental Top 50 Opportunities” series. This series focuses on enterprises across the upstream and downstream segments of the dental healthcare industry supply chain, exploring topics such as the current market environment, investment hotspots, and industrial transformation, to provide insights into the future development trends of the dental healthcare sector.

In this article, we share the interview from the “Oral Care 50 Opportunities” dialogue series in a four-question, four-answer format. In this interview, Wang Jingting, Director of Transaction Strategy and M&A Financing at KPMG China, speaks with Li Houmin, Chairman and CEO of Unizao Technology.

Wang Jingting:Since its founding in 2013, Uniz Technology has remained dedicated to the research and development of LCD-based photopolymerization 3D printing technology. The company possesses comprehensive proprietary technologies spanning hardware, software, and materials, and has been granted more than 40 core patents domestically and internationally. In terms of technological innovation, Uniz has long been committed to breakthroughs in original Chinese technologies. Its independently developed “cUDP Unidirectional Peel-off LCD Mask Photopolymerization Technology” has achieved a record-breaking maximum printing speed of 1200 mm/h, while maintaining a speed of 200 mm/h in standard mode. This effectively addresses the critical bottlenecks of slow printing speeds and high costs. What are the core technological advantages of Uniz Technology?

Li Houmin:Since its founding in 2013, UniMaker has remained committed to its original mission of accelerating the popularization and application of 3D printing. By focusing its R&D efforts on LCD-based vat photopolymerization 3D printing, the company chose to forge an independent technological path rather than merely following the trajectories established by European and American counterparts. Although pioneering a novel technical route presented numerous challenges, a decade of dedicated R&D has enabled UniMaker to reap the anticipated technological rewards. The company has progressively overcome key hurdles in screen design, thermal management, light sources, slicing software, and resin delivery systems, ultimately fulfilling its promise to develop “cUDP (unidirectional peel-off LCD mask photopolymerization) technology,” thereby laying a solid foundation for building its patent portfolio.

To develop LCD-based stereolithography (SLA) 3D printers that combine high speed, high precision, high stability, long service life, and low manufacturing costs, UniMaker has deployed a comprehensive suite of proprietary technologies spanning hardware, software, and materials.

While the cost advantage of LCD screens can help promote the adoption of 3D printing technology, their poor heat resistance and short lifespan limit their application in stereolithography (SLA) 3D printing. Youni Zao has precisely targeted this technical bottleneck by introducing its proprietary liquid-cooled transparent window technology as a solution, effectively addressing the issues of heat sensitivity and limited durability associated with LCD screens, thereby safeguarding the development of high-performance LCD-based stereolithography 3D printers.

Built on an efficient heat dissipation foundation, printer speed is enhanced by increasing the light source power. To balance high power, high uniformity, and high collimation of the light source, UniZ has increased the power density to 320 mW/cm² while maintaining over 90% uniformity and solar-like high collimation.

The process of separating printed products may seem effortless, but it actually requires that the release force of the release film not be too high. UniMaker has abandoned the traditional single-layer release film technology model and instead developed a microstructured three-dimensional composite release film, optimizing the release force to one-tenth of that in traditional models, thereby helping to increase printing speed.

Ultimate hardware optimization is not the endpoint of technological R&D; the integration of intelligent software serves as a force multiplier for robust hardware. By leveraging its proprietary software system to empower data recognition and processing, and utilizing AI algorithms to enable one-click layout support for optimized print process control, UniMaker is committed to creating an efficient, coordinated, and stable 3D printing workflow.

Printing materials are not only crucial to the quality of printed objects but also serve as the medium for fully realizing the performance capabilities of 3D printers. In addition to adaptively optimizing resin properties to match printer characteristics, Youni Zao comprehensively considers key indicators such as resin hardness, viscosity, flexural resistance, and shrinkage rate. Based on the requirements of diverse application scenarios—including surgical guides for dental implants and orthodontic models—the company provides printing materials with tailored properties.

By leveraging technological advancements and pursuing product excellence, Unizao has addressed diverse client needs—including enhancing personnel efficiency, boosting user stickiness, and improving retention—for customers such as Peking University School of Stomatology, earning widespread recognition.

Wang Jingting:In the field of dental healthcare, Uniz’s NBEE series enables the immediate production of a comprehensive range of dental appliances, including dental models, orthodontic aligners, surgical guides for implants, whitening veneers, and denture bases. This addresses challenges such as high entry barriers and low efficiency in clinics by providing chairside digital dentistry solutions. Notably, the NBEE ultra-high-speed 3D printer can produce six dental models in five minutes and ten retainers in thirty minutes. Compared with traditional methods, this significantly reduces fabrication time and fitting steps, thereby enhancing the patient experience. How do chairside digital dentistry solutions improve the operational efficiency of dental clinics?

Li Houmin:The dental industry, amidst the digital wave, is undergoing profound transformation. This progress is reflected in significantly improved efficiency across processes such as case data acquisition, treatment planning, device and implant manufacturing, and clinical implementation, thereby substantially reducing the overall time costs for the industry.

Taking the United States as an example, given that revenue generation from diagnostic and treatment services is recognized upon the completion of the care process, shortening the treatment cycle to increase patient volume has naturally become a key strategy for boosting outpatient revenue. Leveraging the immediate production capabilities of chairside digital dental solutions, restorations and implants can be placed in patients’ mouths shortly after the treatment plan is finalized. This accelerates revenue realization while reducing patient wait times. However, behind the profound impact on dental clinic revenues, dentist incomes, and patient experiences lies the quiet restructuring of industry production and operational models driven by digital technologies.

Wang Jingting:In terms of market strategy, UNIZ Technology first established the UNIZ brand in the United States and set up a subsidiary in Europe, adopting a distribution-led sales model. To date, it has built a market presence and sales network covering more than 60 countries and regions worldwide, with over 90% of its products sold to overseas markets such as Europe and the United States. Please share UNIZ Technology’s development plans for expanding its global sales network.

Li Houmin:As an emerging application technology, 3D printing is rapidly expanding its global influence. Driven by the ambition to become a global enterprise and armed with independent intellectual property rights, Younizao has targeted the international market since its inception, aligning with the rapid expansion of 3D printing. Today, it has successfully sold its products to more than 60 countries worldwide.

Deep insights into customer needs are the key to Unizao’s success in the international market.

After more than a century of mergers and acquisitions, the distributor market in Europe and the United States has developed a high level of concentration distinct from that of the Chinese domestic market; securing partnerships with leading distributors allows companies to capture the majority of the market. Leveraging its strategy of pursuing product excellence and mastering commercial tactics, Younizao has gradually expanded into the European and American markets.

Unlike their counterparts in China, Western physicians who own their practices are responsible for their own income and clinic operations, making return on investment a key consideration when purchasing equipment. The digital revolution driven by intraoral scanners has visibly improved patient management efficiency, leading doctors to recognize the cost-effectiveness of applying digital technologies in treatment and appliance fabrication. Uniz3D is well-positioned to provide 3D printing equipment that enables the rapid production of digital dental appliances.

Aspiring to further deepen its overseas market presence with a focus on developed countries, Uniz will concentrate on strengthening its service system and accelerating the deployment of distribution channels, delivering high-quality solutions to more dental clinics and dentists who are actively embracing new technologies.

Wang Jingting:What insights have you gained during your transition from professor to entrepreneur?

Li Houmin:My transition from a public school teacher to an entrepreneur was not driven by any dislike for the teaching profession; indeed, I once thoroughly enjoyed it. Looking back, it was the gap in domestically produced technologies that I identified during preliminary research on 3D technology that instilled in me a sense of urgency and crisis. This motivated me, as a polymer specialist, to embark on the journey of pioneering next-generation stereolithography (SLA) 3D printing technology, ultimately leading me to become an entrepreneur. Today, UniMake’s third-generation SLA 3D printing technology is benefiting a growing number of physicians and patients.

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