Author: Su Zihua

The founder of Makera, Zhang Qiuxi, stands at the forefront of two current hottest trends: smart hardware and maker tools.

Geek Park has learned that the desktop-level CNC company "Makera" has recently completed a Series A financing of several hundred million yuan. This round of financing was co-led by Huaying Capital and the Beijing AI Industry Investment Fund, with Yuanhe Puhua, Zhongke Chuangxing, and Qingke Venture Capital participating, while existing shareholder Qiming Venture Partners continues to disproportionately participate.

What Makera does is condense an entire industrial-grade CNC machine into your desktop, allowing ordinary people to easily cut and engrave materials like metal and wood into desired shapes. Prices have also dropped from several hundred thousand yuan to as low as a few thousand yuan.

Interestingly, Zhang Qiuxi, the founder of Makera, may be one of the best representatives of today's maker spirit.

Zhang Qiuxi comes from the IT software industry and is a hardcore DIY enthusiast. Initially, he simply couldn't find the right tools to repair the wings of his model airplane, so he handcrafted a CNC prototype himself. Over time, this interest gradually turned into a business, evolving into a company that is now highly sought after by capital.

What is valuable in this story is that they did not chase trends; when the trend emerged, they were already positioned there.

Today, in the global desktop-level CNC arena, Makera can be considered a high-growth brand that has rapidly gained recognition through product innovation. Its first product launched on Kickstarter in 2021 became the number one in CNC crowdfunding history.

The first-generation representative work of Makera that gained fame: Carvera | Image Source: Makera

At the same time, it is also one of the most likely companies to bring desktop-level CNC to the masses.

Zhang Qiuxi told Geek Park that their third crowdfunding product, which will be launched on Kickstarter by the end of 2025, has achieved over 10 million USD, with more than 80% of over 8,000 supporters being first-time CNC users.

MAKERA Z1, a thousand-dollar desktop CNC, once refreshed the crowdfunding record for consumer-grade CNC | Image Source: Makera

Recently, we reviewed with Zhang Qiuxi the journey from DIYing the first device to now moving towards a "unicorn" valuation, discussing his insights, entrepreneurial experiences, and worldview.

He believes that desktop CNC has reached a crucial crossing point from 1 to 10, and the industry should have the opportunity to hit an annual shipment of one million units. This could be a market on par with 3D printing. He wants to push for this to happen as soon as possible.

The evolution of hardcore makers:

DIY enthusiasts taking off in the AI wave

Zhang Qiuxi is an undeniable maker. Unlike most people who start businesses to chase trends, his direct motivation for doing desktop CNC is his own "urgent need."

"I graduated from Beihang University with a degree in computer science and worked in software and the IT industry for a long time. But I have always been a senior DIY enthusiast, liking to tinker with circuit boards, radios, and robots since I was a kid."

Zhang Qiuxi told Geek Park that around 2015, he became fascinated with model airplanes and drones, often needing to repair planes and process materials like wood, foam, and aluminum, and he needed a handy CNC.

However, he searched the market products and found that there were hardly any that met his requirements. Either the industrial-grade machines were too heavy to fit through the door, or the DIY kits were extremely rudimentary, unable to guarantee even basic precision.

For a seasoned maker, if you can't buy it, then just make it yourself.

He found open-source solutions online, bought aluminum profiles and components, and built a large CNC machine on his own workbench. Although it looked rough, it worked.

It was this awkward prototype that helped him cut out foam molds for airplane wings and also paved an unexpected entrepreneurial path.

Friends in the model airplane community saw his equipment and started coming to him for help with parts processing. By the end of 2016, he opened a small shop on Taobao, selling this DIY CNC product as a semi-finished kit for seven to eight thousand yuan, allowing users to assemble it themselves.

"At that time, I was doing it part-time, working during the day and packing and shipping at night, making tutorials. Later, I found that I could sell dozens or even hundreds of units a month, earning more than at my job," Zhang Qiuxi reminisced.

In 2017, he officially quit his job to fully focus on running this shop. "Among the purchasing users, half were doing small businesses, while the other half were makers. They, like me, wanted a machine that could process materials and was cost-effective."

During that time, his main job was not research and development but acting as "customer service."

"It was indeed quite difficult. The purchasing users genuinely wanted to create products to sell, and I had to communicate with them repeatedly, teaching them how to operate step by step, and my instructional videos were very detailed."

This "hand-holding" stage lasted until 2018. Zhang Qiuxi began to ponder: could he create a better product?

But the challenge is that making a usable CNC is easy, while making a well-functioning CNC is very difficult! Even in the industrial field, CNC machines face "bottleneck" problems. "Domestic high-end precision machine tools, including core modules like control systems, spindle systems, and CAM systems, largely rely on products from Europe, America, or Japan," says Zhang Qiuxi. Even at the consumer level, there must be a respect for the fundamentals.

Thus, Zhang Qiuxi began to assemble a research and development team, investing in the development of original foundational technology. "I lean towards software, and I have some understanding of electronic hardware. But to make a more complete product, we need more professionals to work together. To create a usable CNC, we must tackle the hard issues like spindles, control systems, and CAM software."

"Makera" was officially established in 2019, and in 2020, they handcrafted the first batch of prototypes. In the second half of 2021, they launched on Kickstarter, selling 500 units for 1.7 million USD, becoming the number one in CNC crowdfunding history.

The story that followed involves product iterations, financing, and factory expansions. Makera entered the fast lane, racing towards enabling novice users to use "CNC machines" at home.

To unleash the potential of CNC, a methodology for "creation" is needed

Zhang Qiuxi's understanding of "creation" does not encourage everyone to become mechanical engineers.

He believes the success of consumer-grade 3D printers is due to their encapsulation of complex motion control in firmware, allowing users to only focus on the models.

Similarly, in terms of methodology, Makera is exploring the mature path of 3D printing, building a closed loop of "hardware + software + content ecology."

First, it is necessary to "reconstruct" hardware at the consumer level.

For example, in terms of structure, early industry products often used aluminum profiles spliced together, which seemed flexible but actually led to precision issues and long-term stability problems due to screw gaps.

Makera took the lead in adopting aluminum die-casting structures in its iterations. "Splicing structures will inevitably have gaps in the screws; it's just a matter of how big those gaps are," Zhang Qiuxi said. "Our latest product, the Makera Z1, adopts a one-piece die-cast frame, reducing the entire machine to 17 kilograms, making it easy for one person to carry. At this weight, we have optimized stability, while maintaining processing accuracy at an industrial-grade level of

0.02mm."

Internal structure of desktop-level CNC | Image Source: Makera

In addition, they have made many invisible innovations. For instance, dust collection: the traditional method requires connecting a large pipe and dust cover, which obstructs the processing area and camera.

"We designed a side suction structure, where airflow from above blows down during processing, pushing dust to the side slope, aided by the device's vibrations to push dust into the bottom chamber, which is then extracted by an external vacuum." This way, cleanliness is ensured without obstructing the view.

The essence of these changes is to transform industrial-grade equipment into home-grade devices.

Secondly, Zhang Qiuxi believes that only when software truly "disappears" can CNC reach the masses.

The biggest barrier to traditional CNC is in toolpath design. Users need to use specialized software such as MasterCAM or UG, which can deter 99% of average users.

Makera's direction is to eliminate complexity with AI.

Zhang Qiuxi stated that the self-developed CAM software is evolving towards "one-click toolpath generation." "We started development in 2022, aiming to release the first version in 2024 and a stable version in 2025. This year, we also spent an additional year developing a smarter version that supports one-click operation; novice users won't need to learn programming—they just need to import models to quickly generate toolpaths."

The future interaction form is more like an agent: users only need to input their requirements, and the system automatically generates toolpaths, while constantly monitoring the processing status—such as whether the tool is abnormal, if the load is too high, or if it needs to be stopped.

"The contribution of AI to maker tools is enormous; the combination of large model interaction capabilities and underlying motion control algorithms creates a one-click processing AI agent, which is truly key to pushing products towards millions of units sold."

Third, this is the easiest point to overlook, but also extremely crucial—content ecology.

"Users don't know what they can do with this machine," to solve this problem, Zhang Qiuxi specifically formed a team of dozens responsible for creating use cases, researching daily which works are suitable for consumer-grade CNC, both for promotional shooting and for uploading to the community, teaching users step by step how to make wood carvings, metal badges, and even filter adapter rings.

"We currently plan to produce over 100 pieces of original content each month, along with the existing content uploaded by over 10,000 users, culminating in a large-scale content accumulation."

This step is the beginning of conversion.

This logic replicates the explosive path of 3D printing: when users in the community see others using brass to carve steampunk gears, they feel the impulse of "I can do that too" and then go on to purchase machines and materials.

"The content ecosystem needs to be built from 0 to 1," Zhang Qiuxi revealed, "our content community and the new intelligent software will launch simultaneously in the second quarter of this year."

The turning point towards a million-unit increase has arrived

As of today, Makera has achieved high-speed growth with revenues increasing severalfold each year: from tens of millions since formally selling products in 2023 to rapidly growing to several hundred million by 2025, with a year-on-year growth of several times in Q1 2026. Zhang Qiuxi predicts to Geek Park that growth will be even faster in the coming years.

"We believe that a breakthrough of one million in shipments in this industry is not far off and can be achieved in about two to three years."

In the past, the users of such equipment were mainly at the top end of the maker community. They had the skills, time, and interest, and were the earliest pioneers.

But now, the boundaries are being broken.

"The industry currently has user scales ranging from tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands, but we need to break through to the million level or even higher. If the market itself is small, it is meaningless for a few companies to fight over a shrinking pie."

Zhang Qiuxi believes that the next core incremental growth will no longer come from the hardcore makers at the pyramid's top, but from leveraging technology to lower the barriers, converting millions of DIY enthusiasts, small businesses, schools, and corporate clients into new users of desktop CNC.

"They may have initially purchased a 3D printer, but after using it for a while, they discover that the accuracy and appearance of plastic parts do not meet expectations, thus creating a demand for devices like CNC."

Moreover, there is a vast community of woodworking and metalworking enthusiasts. "In the European and American markets, particularly, the cost of obtaining wood is low, and the audience base is large, with potential users numbering in the millions including those involved in home renovations and traditional woodworking," he added.

To expedite the transition of desktop CNC from the early geek market to the mass market, Zhang Qiuxi revealed that product prices will further decrease.

2026 will be a crucial year in the transition of desktop CNC from 1 to 10.

In Zhang Qiuxi's vision, the future home workshop will consist of a combination of "CNC + 3D printing + laser,"

where CNC handles subtractive cutting of metal and wood, focusing on strength and texture; 3D printing is responsible for additive manufacturing of complex plastic parts; and laser engraving is used for marking and thin plate cutting. Each has its role and complements one another.

And Makera's goal is to create a CNC infrastructure that is affordable and enjoyable for users.

It is foreseeable that when millions of devices enter households worldwide, and tens of millions possess personal precision manufacturing capabilities— the future of manufacturing is not just in distant factories, but also on every individual's desktop and in their garage.

免责声明：本文章仅代表作者个人观点，不代表本平台的立场和观点。本文章仅供信息分享，不构成对任何人的任何投资建议。用户与作者之间的任何争议，与本平台无关。如网页中刊载的文章或图片涉及侵权，请提供相关的权利证明和身份证明发送邮件到support@aicoin.com，本平台相关工作人员将会进行核查。