When speaking of the first Industrial Revolution, it’s easy to conjure images of buzzing factories in northern England – the gritty, profitable frontier of development in production. It was a watershed time for small industries learning how to mass produce. Much of the technological development that wowed the world during this time (late 1700s - early/mid 1800s) came out Britain.
A couple of centuries on, cities like Manchester and London have changed exponentially – skyscrapers, trendy cafes and start up hubs seem to dominate the landscape and culture. However, as additive solutions provider CREAT3D reminds us, the UK is still a manufacturing powerhouse and a global innovator, particularly when it comes to 3D printing for production. In fact, their little corner of the UK along the M4 corridor in Reading, Berkshire, has become a hub for start-ups of all kinds, and is set to be the fastest-growing city in the UK between 2017-2019, according to an EY study.
Since 2012, CREAT3D (pronounced ‘created’) has been offering additive manufacturing equipment and advice to customers across the UK. From traditional industrial engineering and manufacturing companies, through to robotics firms, aerospace businesses, and consumer design companies, there is a broad variety of UK companies wanting their share of additive technology. They are starting to see it as a “no brainer” to have 3D printers in their industrial environments. Now CREAT3D offers BigRep ONE and STUDIO machines as part of their printer portfolio.
Their UK automotive customers have provided particularly good use cases for the value of large-scale additive in the production line. CREAT3D has seen that by bringing this kind of 3D printing technology in-house, companies see up to 90% cost saving, as well as faster leads times and the chance to become more economical in the way they innovate.
CREAT3D Managing Director Simon Chandler says his company takes pride in its independence and consultative approach, in ensuring customers buy the right equipment. “Our customers use CREAT3D to support them in implementing an Additive Manufacturing strategy to streamline their processes, reduce costs and maximize investments.” He says it’s about assessing a customer’s needs, their desired applications and sharing industry knowledge with them to find the ideal solution.
Chandler says, “We are thrilled to work with BigRep, and to provide our customers with all the advantages of in-house, large-format AM. This capability opens up a wide range of opportunities to our customers, for them to benefit from access to low-cost prototypes, manufacturing and production aids, and even end-use parts.”
Among their customers are forward-thinking companies in industries as diverse as automotive, food production, bio-tech, aerospace and a wide range of manufacturing applications. From robotics, through to consumer design products and architecture, they can go from working on grippers, to enclosures the next day.
BigRep is thrilled to have CREAT3D as part of its reseller network in a great position between London and Wales, and in a prime spot on the new frontier in additive manufacturing.
Visitors can see CREAT3D at stand L44, and BigRep STUDIO at TCT Birmingham, from 25-27 September, to see the large-scale printers and talk to Chandler’s team about how they can scale their production using 3D printing technology.
