3D printing for companies as a business

In this post we told you that 3D printing is the paradigm of industry 4.0 in terms of manufacturing. But how does 3D printing work as a business?  You have to sharpen the ingenuity and look for business around the 3D printing company. This business model is here to stay. 

There are examples of successful 3D printing companies. We’ll talk about a few. Specifically from RECREUS and LGM Estudio 

3D printing ideas for companies that have already succeeded 

RECREUS, recycle, create and use 

Recreus means REcicla, CREa and USa, and it is a story of entrepreneurship that was born in 2010 in a garage, evolving to what it is today, a consolidated and internationally positioned company. What do they do?  Flexible filament for 3D printers with its own brand, Filaflex.

Its founder is Ignacio García, an industrial engineer, who in 2010 visited the Euromold fair in Germany where he bought his first 3D printer and began to navigate in this field. Innova when he realizes that the plastics on the market are very rigid and not very flexible and in the garage of his parents’ house, he develops a more elastic material and suitable for 3D printers 

This is Filaflex, which was born in 2013 and becomes the first filament in the world really elastic With Filaflex shows the world how you can print with your 3D printer your own shoes with a flexible filament and from your home! The news went around the world, from Japan to Russia to the US. 

The company is aware of the potential of additive manufacturing thanks to the contribution of elastic materials and its team focuses on the research of new materials and the improvement of 3D printing processes, contributing to Industry 4.0 in the sector and 3D printing. 

Recreus as a company is characterized by: 

  • They have fast response times in both orders and solutions 
  • Customer service as a priority 
  • Their international vocation, since they ship anywhere in the world. 

It’s interesting to see what Recreus customers say in this Youtube video about them. 

Recreus
Photo: Recreus

LGM estudio

LGM manufactures small vehicles for people such as reduced mobility, but in reality any vehicle concept is analyzed. 

Among the clients and projects of LGM Estudio are: 

  • The Langui, with a super high-performance scooter 
  • Xavier Gabriel, from Bruja de Oro, with a tricycle with a built-in flying broom 
  • DKV insurance and A3 Media, with a mobile point of sale for the sale of ski pass with DKV medical insurance 
  • Sweeper Bike, with an eco sweeper SB 1000 
  • Or Brittany Ferries, with LGM tricycles for guiding cars to the holds of ships and for maintenance and mobility work in ports. 

Profitable sectors to make 3D printing for companies 

There are three major sectors in which 3D printing for companies can achieve profitability while making the development of work easier. They are as follows: 

  • Printing triangle. Hardware, Software and Material. It’s all about creating systems for printers to work. This business option requires technical knowledge of engineering and software development. 
  • Supply and Service. This section includes businesses and companies that deal with everything from the transport of the printers themselves and the materials they generate, to courses in which they are trained in the use of the software and the printer itself. 
  • Production. It is everything related to direct contact with the 3D printing machine, its commissioning and producing the materials, designs and parts that are necessary. 
FABCafe Barcelona
Photo: FabCafe Barcelona

Creating a 3D printing business for companies: the 3D case LABFAB&CAFE 

LABFAB&CAFÉ is a pioneering business that is characterized by being authentic and original. The idea set in motion and made real is to mix a bar with a 3D printing company. In this way, 2 business purposes that in principle do not have much to do with each other, feed back. 

The niche market of LABFAB-CAFE is between those who have a drink and are hooked by the wonders that printers can do, and those (they can be representatives or managers of a company) who come to print their projects, and while having a soft drink or a coffee. 

Of Argentine origin, this coffee press required $ 850,000 to open its doors and currently has clients as diverse as the Mexican government or jobs for schools and colleges. And among his jobs, things as different as the beak of a toucan or the prosthesis for a boy. 

Something very good about FABCAFE is also its website where there are frequently asked questions and answers to them. There they are clearly defined saying that “The ideal of FabCafe is that it brings together the spaces of a cafeteria and a digital manufacturing laboratory. 

They also have a Technology  page where they explain the manufacturing services they have and the tools for it. And equally exciting is their Magazine Barcelona where they talk about topics such as ‘the first analog 3D printer’ or if you can, through a 3D printer and an MRI scanner, help a person rebuild their face. 

We see that there are many examples of companies that have achieved profitability and efficiency with 3D printing. 

If you want more examples, CNN Expansión presents 6 business models with 3D printing 

  1. Baby spoon. 
  1. High-end hearing aids. 
  1. 3D printing shop. 
  1. 3D printing of patents. 
  1. Special repairs. 
  1. Customized products. 

Another field where 3D printing will undoubtedly continue to advance by leaps and bounds is medicine. Read our post about 10 medical applications of 3D printing 

At ADDvance we provide expert advice on the successful adoption of additive manufacturing technology, independently against technologies and brand.  Contact us today!