Ira3D: Creating in the Future

2015’s Record-Breaking 3D Printer is Italian Created by a Young Team of Under 30s

Over the last few decades, doing business has become increasingly harder, thanks to a negative economy and a crisis in production where everything has already been invented. It is becoming easier to talk of technology as an indispensable tool for rapid and efficient progress, technology as the main vehicle for bringing life to new businesses and a breath of fresh air to already-established industries.

“To improve the applications of a technology which is already well-established in order to benefit everyone: for us this is true progress”

This group of young entrepreneurs from Piedmont draw inspiration from Henry Ford to explain the founding of Ira3D. The team, headed by Alessandro Padrin – 24, with a packed CV in business and finance – are all under 30 and have very clear ideas about business: the aim is to leave their mark on history by offering an opportunity for everyone to launch their own projects thanks to the most interesting technology on the market.

Riding the wave of an increasingly advanced technology, and combining it with the increasing demand for manufacturing support, the group has embraced the world of 3D printing with a project to make the most of desktop printers.

“We created Poetry Infinity,” explains Alessandro Padrin, CEO of Ira3D, “a record-breaking desktop 3D printer: 15 micron resolution and 400 millimetres per second. The result of focused research into what the market as a whole is looking for: from large companies requiring quality and savings in prototyping and production, to private individuals who are constantly seeking ways to personalise their world.”

Poetry Infinity is Ira3D’s second venture, following the highly successful Poetry2, the desktop 3D printer whose excellent performance in 2014 blew away its competitors and placed the all-Italian young start-up at the very top of the international market just six months after its foundation.

Ira3D puts its success down primarily to attention to detail and the high quality of all-Italian production, followed by the strong group spirit that keeps the team united from design to production and right up to sales, passing through business strategies and marketing and sales activities.

“Our printers,” says Alessandro, “are the result of team work; we have designed them together and we proceed with commitment and dedication. They guarantee a highly valid additive manufacturing and prototyping support to all companies who need fast but extremely precise results with limited costs.”

“But also finished products,” adds Matteo, Vice Manager of Ira3D. “Our printers can generate perfect objects, mechanical components, design elements, furnishings, fashion details for clothing, footwear and much more: the possibilities are endless and all worthy of experimentation safe in the knowledge that they are certified guaranteed and supported by a team of specialised technicians.”

Short interview with Alessandro Padrin, CEO Ira3D

How was Ira3D founded?

The adventure really began in 2011, starting with the solar panel and renewable energy sector. A long, exciting journey which led us in 2014 to the world of 3D printing, something we strongly believe in as an evolution that can easily be compared to the fourth industrial revolution.

Young and bright (all between 24 and 27 years of age), you decided to invest to create innovation in a market of huge potential growth. Luckily we are not alone; from the outset one investor believed in our project and provided the necessary capital to guarantee a solid start to our business

It is not easy to innovate in Italy, research and development are long processes. Let’s say that today our focus is on becoming one of the leaders in the 3D printing sector, at least in Europe. 

In terms of technology, it is not enough to think of doing business only in Italy. If you want to see truly consistent growth of your investment, you need to act on the global market.

3D printing is growing in a vast number of sectors

3D printing is not magic, it is a technology that has enormous potential but which requires a great deal of knowledge and above all the will to look further. 3D printing means a footwear company, fashion house, designer or architect can create prototypes, scale models or even finished products that can then be used in their work or in marketing.

And with considerably lower costs …

Absolutely

Is this one of the main aspects?

3D printing has truly enormous potential, beyond lowering costs which is certainly a noteworthy aspect. But the fact is that a person or a company will be able to create a greater number of objects at the same production costs as a single product created manually.

Ira3D currently organises courses to introduce people to a new world by illustrating the potential of 3D printing…

In this area a course is essential – as I said before, 3D printing is not magic but requires in-depth knowledge of how to use the technology. What we do is provide training through technical assistance; this is not merely an advertising slogan but a concrete monetary investment made by Ira3D to educate our clients in the use of the printers, so that they can then find real-world applications for their knowledge.

Have you already conquered other markets, beyond the Italian one?

Yes, and we are happy to be moving in this direction. Today, Italy is certainly an important market, and one that covers a large proportion of our sales, but we also have clients in Slovenia, Greece, Germany and new major distributors in America who have chosen to give Ira3D visibility and put their trust in the advanced technology of our products.

Clients from all over the world who appreciate your products, then…

That’s true, but that’s not all: I believe our business model is also highly thought of, as it complies with European standards but also has the distinctive Italian tendency to place customer care above all else.

In a market like this, where very few people have in-depth knowledge of 3D printing, total support for the client and a full understanding of their needs is fundamental for us. This is the way we do business and so far it is proving to be very successful.

We are at the dawn of a new age, just like in the 80s when we were coming into the world of personal computers; here we have technology that in the next 30 years will develop in incredible ways, verging on science fiction.

For more details about Ira3D, check out their website and Facebook page.