There’s another possible reason for 3D printer sales delays in the US.
In September the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) announced a ”second set of enforcement actions” targeting China laboratories that provide FCC certification for electronic devices. FCC explains:
”Private test labs and certification bodies are responsible for overseeing the testing and certification of all devices that get authorized for import or sale in the U.S. to ensure they comply with FCC rules and do not contain prohibited equipment that threatens national security.”
The FCC news item explains that they believe certain certification labs are “ultimately owned or controlled by a foreign adversary”, and therefore should not be allowed to certify equipment for use in the US. The majority of equipment manufactured in China is certified by China-based labs before the products are allowed to be imported into the US.
It’s not clear how many labs are providing certification, but according to the FCC:
- Four labs were outright denied application for certification
- Eleven had previously been denied
Some 15 labs have been cut off or denied applications for certifying authority… so far. FCC Chairman Brendan Carr said:
“Foreign adversary governments should not own and control the labs that test the devices the FCC certifies as safe for the U.S. market. This is an important step in restoring trust in the Commission’s equipment authorization process, and combatting foreign adversary threats.”
It’s unclear whether there will be additional lab denials or withdrawals, but it would not be surprising if that happened. The document’s definition seems to be organizations that are “controlled by the government of China”. Note that doesn’t say “owned”, but instead it says “controlled”. That’s a pretty wide definition, and could be interpreted to mean any China-based lab, as they all face some of control by the Chinese government — just like American companies and the US government.
The bottom line here is the Chinese companies producing electronic products may suddenly find themselves with a shortage of labs to perform FCC certification. Either that or they would have to switch to a new lab, perhaps one based in the US.
All of that would certainly generate delays in getting product to the US market, and that is what we may see in the near future, especially if additional labs have their certification capability removed.
Could it be that Bambu Lab’s current delay in US sales of the new P2S 3D printer be caused by this situation? I think it’s unlikely, as there should be plenty of certifying agents remaining in operation. Bambu Lab’s delay is more likely due to tariff complications and pricing.
However, if the US government intends on squeezing Chinese manufacturers by narrowing the capacity for FCC certifications, the US market would most definitely see a massive slowdown in new product introductions.
Via FCC (PDF)
