So, You’ve Been Tasked with Researching and Selecting a 3D Printer for Your Company.

Where do you start? There is no shortage of brands fighting for your attention, so you can easily spend weeks researching 3D printers only to find yourself more confused than when you started.

Here’s what typically happens

1. You avoid contacting salespeople and do all the research yourself
2. You fill out a few forms and get inundated by people fighting to win your business

Here are the downsides of each

DIY Research

While this seems to make the most sense and gives you a good foundation, one key thing is overlooked. While you might have a few ideas for where 3D printing could benefit your business, an experienced partner would be able to help you find opportunities beneath the surface that could have a significant impact on your operations.

The DIY route typically leads to purchasing a printer based on a few features that sound nice at a “good price.” While this sounds great, it usually leads to minimal impact on your workflow.

Contact Sales Channels

Contacting 3D printer sales organizations can help you understand the potential applications of 3D printing, but you have now moved from a curious individual to a sales lead in their funnel. If you speak to multiple companies, they’ll all be fighting for your attention. Not only that, but many companies provide a limited variety of technology, meaning they have to try to convince you their product is right for you, which we feel puts you at a disadvantage. Imagine walking into a car dealership looking for a fuel-efficient family car and the salesperson tries to sell you a 2-seater V8 sports car.

This sales-first approach is the way things have been for years, and unfortunately, it probably sounds painfully familiar.

So, what’s the way out?

Nota3D was formed to break this mold. We essentially consider ourselves as more of a dating or matchmaking service for 3D technology than a sales organization. First, we help you build a profile of who you are and what you’re looking for, then we set you up on a few dates based on your matches. Ultimately, our goal is to find the perfect match for you, even if it doesn’t come from us. If it is from us, we are there for you to make sure the relationship is happy and healthy.

Let’s break down how each step works

We help you build a profile of who you are and what you’re looking for

Before you contact us, chances are you have a basic idea of what 3D printing could do for you. Maybe it’s prototyping faster, testing your products, printing production tooling, or even making end-use parts.

These ideas form the foundation and give us a better idea of where to start. From there, we can often talk through your processes in-depth to uncover additional opportunities for printing that apply to you.

You’d be surprised how many times we speak with someone about one idea and end up finding 4 or 5 more that are even more powerful than the initial vision.

One example was a company that purchased a 3D printer to prototype propellors for in-water testing. In addition to prototyping, we uncovered other possible applications during the discovery process, including printing replacement parts for their automation equipment.

Sure enough, their pallet wrapping machine went down shortly after their 3D printer was installed. The supplier quoted a 7-day lead-time and required a minimum quantity of replacement parts. This delay was a huge problem because every pallet had to be wrapped, and they ship hundreds per day.

This delay wasn’t an option, so an Engineer remembered our discovery process and decided to model and print the parts using a production-grade material available on their 3D printer. The parts were printed overnight and installed the next day, causing only a slight service interruption.

We set you up on a few dates based on your matches

While it’s critical to find the features that fit your needs and allow for growth, it’s equally important to validate those recommendations. That’s why our engineers partner with you to test and ensure the technology we suggest will work for your workflow.

If our solutions aren’t the best fit, we will help you find a better fit, even if it isn’t from us. That’s a promise.

Once you find your match, we help ensure your relationship is happy and healthy

Once you find your 3D printer soulmate from Nota3D, we’ll get it installed for you and get you up to speed on how to operate the printer to get the best results from it. In addition, you’ll have access to our entire team for questions, tips & tricks, and troubleshooting.

As a relatively young company going up against long-standing competitors, we knew we had to provide something new.

We’ve partnered with some of the top 3D printing companies globally, allowing us to offer a wide range of proven technologies. The combination of technologies and our genuine passion and excitement for helping you find solutions is what makes Nota3D so unique. We love what we do and can’t wait to meet you!

If you are interested in learning more about the true power of 3D printing, start with Nota3D, and we’ll have fun exploring what’s possible together. www.nota3d.com