Startup Beamler Makes Implementing 3D Printing Easy and Affordable

The additive manufacturing revolution has opened up an entirely new sector of business. As manufacturers look towards transitioning from traditional manufacturing to additive manufacturing in some or all of their operations, many of them need help with that transition. It’s a daunting task to try to figure out what parts can be 3D printed, and what the best, most-cost-effective way to 3D print them is. That’s where a team of outside experts can really help, and the need is so great that it’s opened the door to new software products and even entirely new businesses.

Beamler is one of those businesses. The startup has been growing through FABulous, the 3D Printing European Accelerator, and is dedicated to helping companies implement additive manufacturing as easily and painlessly as possible. The company’s cloud-based software provides manufacturing data from a global network of 3D printers, letting designers and engineers choose the closest or most cost-effective provider to have their parts 3D printed.

The software also lets designers and service providers connect instantly via the cloud; if a part is not 3D printable, the designer will be able to know right away after uploading the design to the network. If it is 3D printable, tools included in the software help users quickly and easily optimize the part for printing and choose where they want to have it printed.

According to Beamler, the two main challenges in adopting additive manufacturing are lack of information and hesitancy about making large investments. Engineers need to know if they can 3D print a particular part, as well as how and where they can print it.

“Right now, they usually get this information through trial and error, which is cumbersome, inefficient, and costly,” the company states.

Moreover, many companies don’t want to or aren’t able to invest in the machinery and other tools needed to fully take advantage of the benefits of additive manufacturing. Beamler addresses both issues with what they call a “plug and play” cloud-based solution, consisting of two parts: a tool that allows engineers to convert and optimize their designs for 3D printing and to facilitate the printing process, and a connected network of 3D printers that allows them to get the lowest cost for their prints.

So far, Beamler has invested €500,000 in the software, which has been tested by 15,000 people.  The next step is gathering investors so that they can begin marketing and sales. The company is currently running a crowdfunding – or crowd-investing, rather – campaign on Symbid, and will be holding a crowdfunding meetup event in Amsterdam on June 15. Early investors can take advantage of several discounts, of up to 15 percent. You can learn more about the free event here.

“Beamler is the fastest and cheapest way for manufacturers to print prototypes,” the company tells us. “With Beamler you just focus on the creative part, Beamler takes care of everything else.”

You can learn more about Beamler in the video below:

Discuss in the Beamler forum at 3DPB.com.