Additive Manufacturing, more popularly known as 3D printing has become a buzzword in the last few years. Every other day, we get to see some interesting news about 3D printed houses, 3D printed prosthetic limbs, jewellery and so on. So revolutionary is the technology that all the experts predict that 3D printing will change the face of manufacturing in the next 20 years.
Seeing the immense potential 3D printing offers, many passionate entrepreneurs from India are jumping onto the 3D printing bandwagon bringing this revolutionary technology closer to the masses. And one such start-up happens to be think3D led by two bright individuals in the face of Raja Sekhar Upputuri, a B.E. from BITS Pilani and an MBA from CEIBS along with Prudhvi Reddy, also an alumnus of B.E BITS Pilani and having done his MBA from IIM Kolkata.
For the last 2 years, iMakr.vc – world’s leading dedicated 3D printing fund – was receiving several requests for incubation and investment from India based 3D entrepreneurs on a regular basis and the company was looking for an advisory team in India to evaluate these proposals and facilitate the funding process. Few months back, iMakr team met the founders of think3d; and looking at their passion and skill-sets they became their natural choice to play the role of advisor and incubator for iMakr. iMakr.vc brings in its expertise and exceptional track record to the partnership while the Indian partner brings in the Indian market know-how and the local expertise.
Speaking exclusively to AnimationXpress.com’s Sidharth Iyer, Raja Sekhar Upputuri spills the beans on what think3D is all about and how does the company plan to spread the awareness of the 3D printing space in India and also bring in the right technology to keep pace with the ever changing ecosystem.
Excerpts:-
Q. How did you think of getting into the additive manufacturing/3D printing space?
During December 2013, both Prudhvi and me came across some news about 3D printing. Given our technical and business backgrounds, we immediately realized that it is an interesting technology that can have wider impact in future. But that time we didn’t have plans to venture into 3D printing industry. Around April 2014, we decided to quit our respective jobs and build a mobile app company. One fine day, when we were discussing about the mobile app we wanted to build, it struck us that if we are taking a risk by quitting our jobs, so we should take the biggest risk and enter an industry that has much wider impact. And 3D printing immediately came in our minds then. We spent the next few months studying this space and once we were thoroughly convinced, we decided to focus completely on 3D printing and thus launched the company in June 2014.
Q. How did the JV with iMakr come about? What are the plans going forward?
After we zeroed upon 3D printing duringJune 2014, we went to UK on business. During our stay there, we visited iMakr store as it is known to be the world’s largest 3D printing retail store. The store manager introduced us to one of the founders. And during the course of the conversation we got to know that iMakr has a VC fund, through which the company invests in interesting 3D printing ventures. During the discussion, one of the founding members asked us if we can explore the 3D printing space in India and identify interesting high potential ideas for iMakr to invest in. That is how the collaboration came about.
We studied various companies in 3D printing space in India and it became very clear that the industry is at a very nascent stage in this side of the globe and it will take a few years before we see some clear trends. So, currently we are in the gestation period, studying the market and the players.
Q. What is your current client base like? Who are your potential clients?
Bulk of our client base currently is medium to high end industries in India. These companies are looking to purchase a 3D printer to install in their engineering division for prototyping purpose. Some of these customers also opt for print on demand service wherein companies provide the design and we print the design for a fee. Other major client base is educational institutions. They want to set up a 3D printer in the research lab to train students and also for prototyping services.
In short term, potential customers include SMEs in engineering, health care, mechanical, architecture, health care, automobile space and all educational institutions. In long term, households will be the major client base is what we would like to predict.
Q. What do you think is the future of 3D printing in India and globally?
3D printing technology is at a very nascent stage in India and even globally. If we have to draw parallels, this is a kin to computer industry in 1970s. There is rapid innovation going on in all segments of the industry. Technology is changing so fast, new printing materials are coming into the market and prices of the existing models are coming down rapidly. We strongly believe there is immense scope for 3D printing in India and globally. So far, 3D printing is mainly used for prototyping to test the product before going for actual production. We believe, in future the actual products can be printed using 3D printers. Various big companies like Google, Amazon, AutoDesk, HP and Microsoft are entering the 3D space and are pumping in billions of dollars for research and innovation. Our strong belief is that in future every household will have a 3D printer that they use to print daily use objects much like a computer and 2D printer now.
Q. Are you worried of any competition coming into this market; or do you think competition will help you in growing the market further?
At this juncture, we are least worried about the competition in this industry. In fact, we encourage many start-ups to enter this space. Currently, there is not much awareness about 3D printing technology and the limitless possibilities it offers. So, if more individuals venture into this industry and help spread awareness about 3D printing, it benefits the entire industry. And we believe there is lot to do in this space that one company can’t accomplish it all. Also the 3D printing pie will be very big in the future for many stakeholders to have their share.
Q. Finally, what is the brand promise of Think3D and what can we expect from you in the near future?
As we state in all our communication, think3D is all about “3D Printing for Everyone”. Our mission is to bring this technology closer to the masses, so all our actions are oriented towards achieving this end goal. Three major components of this brand positioning are:
Training & Workshops: We conduct regular workshops for potential customers to educate them about the various printers and let them make an informed decision. Each printer sale is accompanied with a pre training program and a post training program. We also conduct free workshops in various universities to spread awareness about 3D printing technology.
On-going service: We offer continuous service to our customers. We have a free on-call support if the customer is facing any issue with the printer. We also plan to send weekly/fortnightly newsletters to our customers explaining them various new trends in 3D printing technology.
Low cost printers: Major roadblock in achieving “3D Printing For Everyone” is the price of the 3D printers. 3D printers currently in the market are beyond the reach of common man. In the long run, we plan to come up with a low cost, good quality 3D printer thereby making this 3D technology affordable to all.
So there is a lot to look out for in the near future and we will only urge everyone to think of this industry more seriously and also help nurture and grow it along with us.