Type A Machines Partners with BriteLab to Scale Up Production of Series 1 3D Printers

In the United States, just about everyone knows at least a little bit about Silicon Valley – the San Francisco Bay Area is the biggest hub for startups, particularly tech startups, in the country. It has to be intimidating for a young company to try to survive and thrive in the region that produced Google, Apple and Facebook, but product development company BriteLab seems to be doing just fine. Specializing in end-to-end product development from design to manufacturing, BriteLab has a hand in multiple industries, with clients in the fields of medical equipment, communications, industrial and robotics, lasers and optics, and more.

They can add 3D printers to their portfolio thanks to a partnership with fellow Silicon Valley company Type A Machines, creator of the Series 1 and Series 1 Pro 3D printers. Founded in 2012, Type A Machines launched the Series 1 shortly after that, and it’s enjoyed consistent popularity since then, thanks at least in part to its huge build area. To meet the increasing demand for the Series 1 and Series 1 Pro, introduced in 2015, Type A Machines is teaming up with BriteLab in a contract manufacturing partnership.

BriteLab’s expertise and experience in high-volume manufacturing will help Type A Machines to keep up with their rapidly expanding customer base, which now covers six continents. (I’m still hoping we’ll see the day when a company can boast a presence in Antarctica.) According to Type A Machines, keeping manufacturing local was a priority.

The inside of BriteLab’s facility

“The Type A Machines Series 1 line of 3D printers, featuring one of the largest build volumes, support for more than 80 materials, and hot-swappable integration with the Print Pod, has opened new opportunities for 3D manufacturers and entrepreneurs worldwide,” said Andrew Rutter, Type A Machines’ Founder and CEO. “Manufacturing in the U.S. was an important consideration in our selection of an OEM partner. While it’s critical we remain responsive to the market, and protect our intellectual property, we also feel an obligation to improve our local jobs economy. We’re pleased BriteLab was able to meet all of our requirements.”

Through the partnership, BriteLab will provide Design for Manufacturing (DFM), Supply Chain Management (SCM) and New Product Information (NPI) services for the Series 1 line as it continues to grow and expand. Type A Machines will benefit from reduced time to market and, thanks to the proximity of BriteLab’s facilities, the ability to stay closely involved in production. They’ll also reduce the risk of IP theft that comes with offshore manufacturing; IP protection is one of BriteLab’s major priorities.

“Type A Machines groundbreaking technologies exemplify the spirit that continues to make Silicon Valley the innovation capital of the world,” said Robert de Neve, CEO of BriteLab. “We look forward to collaborating with Type A Machines at a peer-to-peer level and applying our full OEM and automation expertise to help ensure their continued success.”

Type A Machines has expanded beyond strictly 3D printers, introducing printing materials, software, and networking tools over the past couple of years. While the company hasn’t announced any new products to come in the near future, their collaboration with BriteLab will ease much of the burden of scaling up production of their existing printers, leaving more room for product development. Discuss in the Type A Machines forum at 3DPB.com.