Xplorer 3D: Pakistan’s Very First 3D Printer Manufacturer is Bringing the Technology to South Asia

Pakistan is a fairly large country, located in South Asia, with a population of over 180 million people. It’s a country that is a big supporter of peace, hospitality, and tradition. When most of us think of the countries that are at the forefront on 3D printing, Pakistan most certainly would be absent from that list. It’s simply a country where very little in terms of 3D printing has really caught on.

This is changing though, thanks in a large part to a company named Xplorer 3D. Xplorer 3D’s parent company, SoftOnix launched as the country’s first ever 3D printing service provider back in 2012. Then in 2013, something began to happen. “In late 2013 we were getting a lot of demand for 3D printers,” Xplorer 3D’s CEO Tayyab Alam tells 3DPrint.com. “Seven out of ten calls asked us for 3D printers instead of the 3D printing service.”

Alam realized that something needed to be done, if they wished to remain Pakistan’s 3D printing leader. The technology was beginning to become a world-wide phenomenon, thus the increase in demand could only continue to grow.

“So we started working on the plans to design and manufacture Pakistan’s very own 3D printer brand, and finally we launched [our line of] 3D Printers for consumers, back in March 2014,” said Alam. “Xplorer 3D is Pakistran’s first 3D printing brand, providing state of the art and affordable 3D Printers. Currently our printers are being manufactured in China and assembled in Pakistan, but we do have future plans to start manufacturing them right here. Currently our product range starts from DIY 3D printing kits to professional level 3D printers.”

Xplorer 3D’s line of 3D printers

At this time, Xplorer 3D offers three different 3D printers on their website, ranging in price from 65,000 Pakistani Rupee (approximately $650) for the Xplorer 3D Basic to 195,000 Rupee ($1950) for the Xplorer 3D Pro. All three printers appear to be quality FDM based machines, comparable to those that we see in the United States and in Europe. They all feature 100 micron layer resolutions with build volumes of 200x200x200 mm.

Alam tells us that they have an all new Xplorer 3D PRO-XL coming very soon. “Our next big surprise in the 3D printing scenario is Xplorer 3D PRO-XL, featuring a huge build volume of 3870 cubic inches for turning huge sized ideas into reality.”

The Xplorer 3D PRO

A printer this size will allow designers in Pakistan to create 3-dimensional objects of very large sizes, for prototyping and in some cases final products. While 3D printing is not all that popular yet in Pakistan, Alam sees this changing.

“The 3D printing scenario in Pakistan is getting popular by the minute,” he tells us. “The most interested crowd are students with engineering and architectural backgrounds. Moreover many hobbyist, regardless of their age, are very interested in this technology.”

3D printing is beginning to find its way to countries all all around the world. With services such as 3DHubs, just about anyone, anywhere on the planet already has access to 3D printing as a service. It won’t be long though, until 3D printers themselves begin making their way into homes. Thanks to Alam and Xpolorer 3D, many of those homes may soon be in Pakistan.

What do you think about the Xplorer 3D printers? Do you know anyone in Pakistan that is using a 3D printer? Discuss in the Xplorer 3D forum thread on 3DPB.com.