“One major challenge we are facing is the lack of clarity on what this technology can provide”

3D Printing: What India Needs to Learn by Tanmay shah, Innovations, Leadership Team of Imaginarium

What’s your 3D printing lineup?
Imaginarium is India’s largest 3D Printing company, with over 17 industrial 3D Printers under one roof. Our technologies cover most 3D printing technologies, namely FDM (Fused Deposition Modeling), SLS (Selective Laser Sintering), SLA (Stereolithography), DLP (Digital Light Processing), MJM (Multijet Modeling), PJP (Polyjet Printing). Along with 3D printing, Imaginarium provides value added services such as industrial 3D scanning,  Investment Casting in precious metals (gold, silver, brass, bronze), Vacuum Casting in functional plastics, painting, finishing and assembly. 

All our printers are imported. The major manufacturers and OEMs are based in USA and Europe.

 

What are the obstacles in the adoption of 3D printing by enterprises?
While there is a marked increase in the level of awareness about 3D printing all over the country, one major challenge we are facing is the lack of clarity on what this technology can provide. On one hand, those users familiar with hobby-level 3D printing have dismissed this technology as being unsuitable for any serious applications. This is because of the mediocre quality produced by low-end machines. On the other, there are quite a few myths surrounding this technology among those who have heard fantastic stories about 3DP, and people often ask us if we can print live kidneys and livers. Research in this direction is definitely showing positive results, and we will soon see a day where commercially available, medically proven organs can be 3D printed in hospitals are commonplace. Yet, the status of 3d printing is a tad bit different at present. Our biggest challenge is to spread awareness and set a realistic level of expectations for our clients. 3D Printing is a revolutionary technology that is changing the way we make things, and it is our constant endeavour to make this technology accessible to everyone in India. At Imaginarium, we like to say that the only constraint to making something wonderful is that of human imagination.

 

Who are your present buyers? Which all sectors are you catering to? 
Imaginarium serves over 30 different industry verticals -from Automotive, FMCG, Electronics, Medical, Dental, Jewellery, Art, Architecture, Design and DIY.

We have served over 3500 clients since 2009. Jewelry manufacturing and engineering prototypes plus manufacturing are our mature, big ticket verticals. The medical field is something which we have been mastering over the past few years, having successfully completed several Titanium 3D Printed Implants for patients with cranial damage and Mandibular reconstructions. 

 

Major Players like HP and Canon are yet to enter 3D printing space. What’s your take on it? And how will their entry affect you?
Imaginarium has built it strength and credibility in the market as the applications expert. With several years of experience and growth in this field, we understand the technology and its challenges thoroughly. Thus, the emergence of new players is a well received change for us, and we will be looking forward to incorporating and understanding these new tools at the earliest. Once tested, the best machines will be put to the service of our customers. 

A few positives from the entry of big players are that the market will consolidate and standardise a lot of practices that are currently haphazard. Machine and material prices, locked in parameters and the abundance of small startups building indigenous machines, are the major areas where the big players can make a huge impact, provided they approach 3D Printing with the right outlook. They will have to acknowledge that the Open Source movement cannot be ignored or underestimated, and if used to their benefit, companies like HP and Canon can fulfill the promise of 3D printing being the next industrial revolution.

 

What all are your future plans? 
Imaginarium is one of India’s largest 3D Printing companies, currently home to over 17 large industrial 3D printers covering almost all major technologies such as SLS, SLA, DLP, Multijet and Polyjet printing. Along with the machines and a host of other value-added services like precious metal lost-wax casting, vacuum casting, polishing, finishing painting and scanning, we serve clients across 30 different industry verticals.  With this strong base set up in the city of Mumbai in India, Imaginarium now has started growing beyond being just a pure-play service bureau and is opening itself up to anything and everything that has 3D Printing at its core. 

Along these lines, our new ventures comprise of an Imaginarium Academy - a business unit focused on creating and disseminating quality content to various target groups such as corporates, academicians and students. We also have a plan to set up Makerspaces around the country that would allow anyone with curiosity to learn and an idea, to come in and start making. Recently, we have had a lot of success on the Medical front as well - we have already worked on 3 patient specific cranial implants 3D printed in Titanium, and a few Mandibular implants as well.

In all these years, we have built a strong relationship not only with our key partners, suppliers, vendors and clients, but also a much larger consumer base that recognises the brand as a credible source for 3D printing know-how and service. We believe that the time is ripe to take things to the next level, and remove the barriers that currently exist for people at large to access this exciting technology. Knowledge of CAD or machines should not be a pre-requisite to enter the world of 3D Printing, and we are trying hard to make that possible.

 

 

 

Air Max 2017


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