Wang Hao, Founder of Yongquan Innovation: Five-Axis Lacks PMF Today; Three-Axis is the Correct Starting Point for Desktop CNC
Wang Hao, founder of Yongquan Innovation, argues that prioritizing five-axis capabilities and positioning for AI-generated sculptures lack product-market fit in the 2026 desktop CNC market, as most needs are met by three-axis machines. Based on this, he chose a strategy centered on three-axis basics with upgradable five-axis linkage, a judgment validated by over $16 million in crowdfunding.
The 2026 desktop CNC sector is being ignited by the concept of five-axis machining, with multiple players launching crowdfunding campaigns centered on five-axis as their core selling point, seemingly suggesting that whoever launches five-axis first gains the first-mover advantage. Wang Hao, founder of Yongquan Innovation, holds the exact opposite view: five-axis currently lacks Product-Market Fit (PMF); only a very small number of items absolutely require five-axis processing, while the majority of needs can be satisfied with three-axis.
Wang Hao's reasoning is built upon his long-term research into the Maker industry. After leaving DJI in August 2023, he spent over a year studying the entire desktop manufacturing landscape, covering metal 3D printing, multi-material printing, UV printers, and CNC. He almost exhaustively reviewed user discussions on Reddit and Discord, manually performed business intelligence analysis, gathered nearly all available data regarding desktop CNC product demand online, and then integrated this with his own practical needs as an engineer to define the product direction.
After defining the product, he conducted quantitative validation through questionnaires and user interviews, finalizing parameters item by item. Just as the product definition was taking shape, Chaojiang Technology launched its first desktop CNC, whose product definition was quite similar to what Wang Hao had envisioned at the time. With the first-mover already occupying the space, Wang Hao re-evaluated: the direction remains unchanged, but he needed to figure out how to do it better.