Inside 3D Printing: Brazil-based E.TECH is Taking 3D Printing to the Shop Floor

In Latin America, 3D printing has an incredible potential to upgrade production processes, enhance research and encourage new generations to study technology-driven careers. For many companies, the low costs of manufacturing along with high customization from in-house additive manufacturing is driving them to incorporate further advances in the technology. This is happening in the Brazilian market, where 3D printing has the capacity to eliminate many of the big problems that several industries face.

After a five-year recession that ended last year, the Brazilian economy is starting to recover, and although it’s one of the world’s best-emerging economies, in 2017 it was named the second most complex jurisdiction for accounting and tax. With a corporate tax rate that stands at 34 percent, some companies are struggling but they understand that 3D printing is one of the ways to reduce costs and save time, especially when it comes to some tough customs barriers. Buying the CAD software to create models and print them on-site can be a great way to become competitive. E.TECH Brazil knows this: the company has been working on partnerships, future projects and democratizing 3D printing in the region. 

The company participated in the sixth edition of Inside 3D Printing, one of the largest technology events in the region, which took place in Sao Paolo, Brazil, during the first week of June. At the event, they both showcased their products and services. E.TECH focusing on selling the Brazilian-made 3DCloner printers and their own filaments, as well as building partnerships with educational institutions in the country to promote the use of 3D printing; while BioEdTech attracted professionals who want to expand their knowledge or get into bioprinting altogether.  

“E.TECH Brazil is the official distributor of 3DCloner Printers, which is one of the top national brands providing corporate desktop printers for professional applications and FFF/FDM technology for education, are made locally in Brazil by the Schumacher Industry, and is one of the top brand choices for developing prototypes since they are easy for anyone to use,” said the firm’s commercial director, Valter Rodrigues Alves, to 3DPrint.com. “We operate exclusively in the commercialization of 3DCloner brand printers. Many people expect that in developing countries, the government provides tax incentives, or other benefits to companies with nationally produced machines, but that is not the case in this category in Brazil.”

E.TECH’s involvement in education projects (Image: E.TECH)

Located in Parana, Brazil, E.TECH’s mission is to offer the best solutions and products to fully meet the needs of its customers and partners, with creativity, innovation, flexibility, and agility. Today, 3D printing has become a very important part of education, engineering, and the automotive industry, just to name a few. Companies that are innovating their processes and products with 3D printing are getting great results, as is the case of the Renault branch in Brazil, which locally saves over 390,000 dollars every year by printing parts with 3DCloner printers. 

In 2015, the Innovation Program (Inova) conceived by the Directorate of Information Systems Americas of Renault Brazil, focused on projects that directly impact the company, like their “3D Printing Bureau” which began producing prototypes of engineering projects, reducing costs and time; the printing of components for use in the production line, such as injector nozzles that apply the mastic (or bonding mass and windscreen sealing of vehicles), and some parts used when training operators at its Dexterity School (mandatory for employees working on the assembly line). Thanks to the 3DCloner, in-house produced injectors allowed a cost reduction of 12 cents per manufactured model. About 100 pieces have already been prototyped and Renault is planning another 2,000 that could be printed in the factory as well. 

The company’s effort to establish an innovation process was so successful that the market recognized Renault Brazil as one of the 100 most innovative companies in the automotive industry category and auto parts. Other projects serve great brands, including other automakers such as GM Brazil, Volkswagen, Caterpillar, E.TECH has other projects with Petrobras, Globo TV, Bosch, and EMBRAER, among others.

“The Latin American 3D market is at an average growth of 25.4% per year. And an estimated 40% of that consumption comes from Brazil. So, there is a lot of expectation regarding the growth of this market, which, for now, is still small, so we expect demand to keep rising in the next few years,” explained Alves, who believes education will have a big influence in the increase in popularity of 3D printing in Brazil. “This year, we are developing a series of new activities, supporting communities focused on the democratization of 3D printing technology, such as the 3D League, Floor Workshop and Maker Space.”

By taking 3D printers to the shop floor and offering a Brazilianin 3D printer to the world this firm shows us just how vibrant the Brazilian market is.