Embattled drone maker DJI has reportedly invested in 3D printer manufacturing, helping diversify its business as it faces challenges in the U.S. According to TechNode, 3D printing brand Elegoo’s parent company, Shenzhen Zhinengpai Technology, added DJI as one of its shareholders following an update to its business registration on November 18. It has also reported a capital of CNY 6.44 million, or around US$900,000, which should be a small amount given the company’s standing as the world’s largest drone maker.
This move can be seen as the company hedging its bets and diversifying its business, especially as it’s currently targeted by Washington, D.C. There have been security concerns with DJI drones since 2016, with the authorities growing more concerned in 2017 when Beijing passed its National Intelligence Law, which requires companies to cooperate with state intelligence when asked. By 2020, the company was added to the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Entity List, which prohibited it from buying from U.S. firms. Despite that, it was still allowed to sell its drones to the American public.
2024 saw significant action in the U.S. House of Representatives, where a provision that would have banned all DJI sales in the U.S. was dropped at the last moment from the 2025 NDAA. Despite that, the company was given one year to prove that it is not a national security risk. The company received another blow earlier this year when a U.S. court ruled that the Department of Defense could designate it as a “Chinese military company.” Even though the court rejected the DoD’s justifications for adding DJI to its list, it still upheld the move, saying that its products have “substantial dual-use applications.” The drone maker is not taking this lying down, though, and it’s currently appealing this ruling.
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