Printerior Launches Large Format 3D Printing-as-a-Service

Printerior has started a large-format 3D printing service. The firm hopes to use sustainable materials for the furniture, interior design, and architecture markets. Printerior has its own large-format machines, which have a 3 by 3 by 2.7-meter build volume and their own extruders.

“Our team is thrilled to introduce our large-format 3D printing services to architects, interior designers, and creatives across the country. We believe this service will open up the possibilities for creating sustainable design with virtually no limits. Current construction methods often limit the possibility for organic design, but 3D printing changes all of that. Imagine a textured curved wall unit that is price-competitive, easy to install, and made from 100% recycled plastics. With our custom-developed technology and commitment to sustainability, we’re empowering industries to innovate and excel like never before,” Printerior CEO Trent Esser said.

Printerior has a materials portfolio that includes recycled materials and pellets. The company also offers a recycling service. Printerior has PP GF30, a popular pellet material for large-format 3D printing. With circular materials and materials expertise, the company could make a real impact. It also has engineering materials that enable it to produce a wide range of parts. In addition to selling materials, the company already offers FDM and SLS printing as a service.

Why Is this a Good Move?

The filament market is crowded. Prusa3D makes an amazing product at a low price and is itself hurting from Bambu Lab competition. Many small filament producers are under threat from competition. A lot of people still buy cheap, low-quality filaments, while manufacturing firms prefer to buy from existing distributors or large companies. It’s a difficult place to be in the filament business. There are three obvious strategies: expand to become a true 3D printing filament supermarket with low prices and good quality, focus on niche high-performance filaments/pellets, or become a low-cost leader. The first and third strategies would be capital-intensive, while the second would need continual R&D efforts in specialist areas. Each of these choices is potentially risky, especially since there are so many filament needs and consumers can be fickle. So, doing something other than filament seems like a great move.

Why Is this a Difficult Move?

There are many applications in medium and large formats, but it is often difficult to find customers. Customers are often new to 3D printing and will need design and development services to succeed. The large-format business is very attractive and unexplored. The field is completely open at the moment, but companies will have to market themselves in a very powerful and persistent way to find enough customers for this to make sense. Once they do this well, they could specialize and find a series of very valuable applications. Branding and marketing are hard but seem easy. A coherent, well-executed branding effort would be essential for success here. Meanwhile, you also have to educate many different businesses on what is truly possible in additive manufacturing.

What Would I Recommend Printerior Do?

There are very few large-format 3D printing services. They typically fall into one of three categories: a specific application-specific market service with existing customers, a local service, and a service with a story. Specific services leverage an existing relationship with a supplier, like a Boeing supplier, to make aerospace tooling. Here, the entry is hard, but the business is solid going forward, albeit with a dependency on the customer. The local business is tricky because it is difficult to find customers in medium-format 3D printing. Often, there will be many people who may need your service but do not know it and many who think what you do is cool but will waste your time.

The branded story business is by far the most effective model. Companies like The New Raw or LaMaquina have tight, well-made brands that connect them with specific consumers. The New Raw attracts sustainable, design-oriented corporates and local governments through good design and storytelling. LaMaquina attracts big brands and creatives by spreading technology cool and executing on a part of product management. I’d recommend hitting local businesses hard and telling a clear story to local media that showcases the size and cost of objects. Then, I’d create one sustainable furniture brand and a service brand. The service should be local production-focused and try to engage with any and every business in the vicinity. Meanwhile, the sustainable furniture brand should focus on cutting-edge design, good photos, compelling stories, and a launch into a wide-open market.