Interview With Kevin Neugebauer of myprintoo on 3D Printing in Germany

German 3D Printing reseller and store myprintoo is a popular Hamburg based destination site for buying 3D printers and supplies. As with the other 3D printing retailers and resellers that we’ve interviewed for this series myprintoo is shifting its focus more towards the enterprise. They sell Materialise Magics, Artec Studio as software and also have consulting services. The company also offers professional level printers from third wave 3D printing companies such as Xact Metal, 3ntr, and Ansioprint. With Formlabs equipment, 3D scanners, Ultimaker and Sinterit the firm focuses on the higher end of the desktop market as well as entry-level manufacturing solutions. This cauldron of activity is currently a very profitable but also a very competitive space in 3D printing. We interviewed Kevin Neugebauer to find out more about his firm and the 3D printing market in Germany.

What is myprintoo? 

myprintoo is a specialist in 3D printing technology. Our 3D printing retail store ranked number three amongst the ten most popular 3D printing online stores 2018 (according to 3druck.com).

What makes us different from most of the online shops selling 3D printing products? We offer not only products from the top 3D printing manufacturers, but we also provide all-round services for 3D printing technology. If only buying a 3D printer was as easy as buying a regular 2D printer! Here you need to know precisely what you will use it for. Will it improve your everyday life, and will it save resources? Will you be able to operate it?

We consult with our customers and find suitable solutions for their 3D printing applications together. We also discuss further possible applications of the 3D printing technologies, so that their investment pays off in the future as well. If our customers have any technical questions, we gladly support them in the German and English.

Additionally, we offer webinars and product training in Hamburg or on-site, to show the customers how to work successfully with the hardware and software and which procedure is best suited for their application. We also work closely with educational establishments by providing them with information and professional guidance on 3D printing.

The core myprintoo team; Kevin is seated.

What markets do you focus on?

We focus on the B2B markets – mostly in the German-speaking area. For some of our products we have exclusive rights to the DACH region, for some – additionally, to the Benelux Union.

What kind of customers do you have?

Our customers come from different branches and industries: mechanical engineering, automotive, aerospace, R&D departments, universities, laboratories, medical establishments. They all have different demands and applications and require different approaches.

These are

a) customers who are new to 3D printing,

b) customers who got familiar with 3D printing some time ago, are developing their applications and need more professional 3D printers,

c) advanced users who require professional solutions for their specific needs.

How is your product portfolio structured?

According to our customer’s types, we differentiate our products as follows:

• Products that are well suited for beginners – these are the desktop 3D printers Ultimaker and Formlabs.

• To those who need a professional solution in FDM we offer our two 3ntr 3D printers – A2 and A4 – they score with an open system for a high variety of materials. Three nozzles allows the printing of parts with a combination of two different colors and/or properties while at the same time printing utilizing support material – necessary for complex geometries. These machines are ideal for prototyping, product development, printing of spare parts and demonstration objects, for example for medical institutions.

• To customers who want to print with titanium, aluminum, stainless steel & bronze we offer our two 3D metal printers – Xact Metal XM200C and XM200S. Both are perfectly suited for taking the first steps in the metal 3D printing. Their compact design and best price-performance value makes them attractive for mechanical engineering and automotive, while affordable for universities and R&D centers at the same time.

• To Aerospace & Automotive customers, who need to 3D print extremely light but, simultaneously, strong parts with high mechanical load capacity, we offer the Anisoprint Composer series A4 to A2. It’s a 3D printer capable of printing with high-strength composite materials, using special reinforcing carbon fiber along with the common plastics, which gives the parts superior mechanical properties. Universities and research centers profit from experimenting with continuous carbon fiber as well.

   

Why should I work with you?

For almost 5 years we have been delivering not only professional 3D printing technology, but also knowledge essential for the 3D printing. Our team has been gathering experience in different branches like 3D printing, chemistry, architecture, design, IT and sales so that our solutions are tailor-made to meet the needs of our customers.

We support our customers during their first steps in 3D printing and enable the transfer from desktop to professional 3D printers. We see ourselves not only as consultants who help finding the best solutions, but also as project partners who are interested in successful results.

I keep thinking that maintenance and service will be key to reseller profits in the future?

Of course, being supported when having technical questions, a customer can start 3D printing immediately. To prevent long repairs and downtimes we offer additional annual maintenance contracts for our brands 3ntr, Xact Metal & Ultimaker. Our technicians inspect the purchased 3D printer on site or at our service desk in Hamburg and replace spare parts when necessary. We also give expert advice reliably and quickly on the phone and via e-mail.

What is the market like in Germany?

3D printing is gaining more and more popularity in Germany. We all hear: “3D printing is revolutionizing the industry!” What is really happening is that the top companies mostly in the automotive and aerospace industries are purchasing the high-end products of the well-known 3D printing brands.However, there are many small and medium-sized enterprises who want to be involved in 3D printing as well, but cannot afford the high-end 3D printers. Meanwhile, the low-cost, high-performance professional 3D printers already exist and guarantee successful introduction into 3D printing. Our goal is to inspire the smaller companies, to let them know that 3D printing is getting affordable and that they could, if not revolutionize the industry, at least optimize their own production site.

What are the stumbling blocks in 3D printing?

• The biggest problem is that it’s not that easy to recognize the applications and the added value of the 3D printing.

• People keep printing conventional parts, sometimes not knowing what parts are best suited for the 3D printing. However, modifying the design of the parts can help evolve the manufacturing process and save resources.

• In-house knowledge in 3D printing technology is limited.

What advice would you give me if I was a company new to 3D printing?

First, find a reliable team of experts in 3D printing technology, like myprintoo. Tell them your applications, ideas and even doubts. Believe me there’s a solution for every implementation.

Buy a 3D printer together with a webinar or a product training – that’s how you ensure a smooth software installation, impeccable hardware operation and the fastest ROI.

Research what parts are best suited for 3D printing or the ways you can optimize the parts to get more value out of 3D printing.

Keep in touch with us – that’s how we can evaluate, whether you are getting the best out of the 3D printing technology. Additionally, we offer upgrade programs for customers who want to trade their old machine in for a new professional 3D printer.

How do you see our industry evolve?

I imagine fully automated production lines with non-stop manufacturing processes involving 3D printers not only printing prototypes and spare parts, but totally new end products with modified designs, properties and customized tailor-made solutions.

I believe in the near future any respected educational establishment should have a 3D printing lab to prepare the new open-minded experienced professionals who will continue revolutionizing our industry.