Sep 21, 2016 | By Andre

In the world of 3D printing there exist marketplaces that specialize in producing custom on-demand products using a wide spectrum of available materials. One of these companies, Kwambio (around since 2014) has been giving everything it has to grow its production facility with hopes to stay competitive.

The focus for the Ukrainian founded company has always been one of high-quality additive manufactured ceramic and metal products. This means its unlikely that you’ll see any rough looking PLA or ABS plastic prints delivered to your door any time soon. Yet unlike places like Shapeways, where the designers display their products online like a traditional storefront, Kwambio has a range of designers on-hand that are responsible for taking your idea (no matter how early-stage) and transforming it into a beautiful on-demand product.

Vlad Usov, CEO and co-founder suggests that, “our goal is to offer high quality products at affordable prices. Thanks to our incredible team and a perfect eco-friendly location in Ukraine, Kwambio cuts prices and lead time in half.”

Their approach means no extra inventory or warehousing and the same ability to customize products on the fly (as with most 3D printing endeavours). Partnerships with a number of manufacturing companies around the world also means that even if they might not have all the machinery to manufacture every item in-house, they certainly have the ability to get it all done with someone’s help.

Internally, they currently specialize in porcelain 3D printing that has been perfected during a recent development phase that is just now completed. Their porcelain process results in dishwasher and oven safe products perfect for homewares, sculptures and decor pieces.

They use their own ceramic powder, offer over 80 colour options, have some of the thinnest 3D printed ceramic layer tolerances available and the promise of a fast turnaround time (two weeks from start to finish for most projects is their goal). These are all important factors when we live in a world where standing out above the rest (and doing so at breakneck speeds) is more and more important every day.

From a more technical perspective, they can currently produce individual pieces up to 23.5x33x18cm large with minimum part thickness or radius of 3mm. From a price perspective, their newly opened marketplace offers rates as low as $0.07 per 1cm2. While that number might be difficult for many to gauge value from, they assure us that their rates fit in with some the lowest in the world.

And if you are worried their service is all razzle and dazzle with no potential, it’s worth noting they have raised over $1.2 million in funding up until this point and have showcased their product lineup at startup competitions and 3D printing trade shows around the world since 2014.

Of course, competition remains fierce. Places like Shapeways and i.materialise also offer custom print services in metals, plastics and ceramics. So if we are still in the wild-west of the 3D printing era, the recent push by Kwambio suggests there’s no clear cut winner just yet.

Posted in 3D Printing Service

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