BEIJING — China's major additive manufacturers reported a total operating revenue of 7.5 billion yuan (about $1.14 billion) in the first nine months of the year, official data showed.

The figure was up 10.3 percent year-on-year, according to the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology.

During the period, additive manufacturing companies with annual revenue of over 20 million yuan saw their profits surge 135.5 percent year-on-year to 730 million yuan.

Additive manufacturing, commonly known as 3D printing, is used to create a physical object by layering materials based on a digital model.