Florian Bautz
Managing Director
rising demand for the RepRap project in Europe, and the
decision to design his own RepRap printer was a logical
consequence, and German RepRap was thus founded.
After three years, he created the first large volume 3D
printer, and X400 was born, j ust to print components for the
existing smaller printers more efficiently. However, as
industrial companies started to reach out to German
RepRap for the X400, he realized the absence of the
comparable system in the market and a tremendous
opportunity in focus on B2B demands.
Again, his decision to concentrate on industrial 3D printers
from 2014 was logical, market driven, and successful, and
led the brand German RepRap to become one of the fastest
growing 3D printing companies with a growth rate of 60 %
in 2016 and a full range of industrial 3D printers, the X
series.
Leading from the Front and Overcoming Struggles
Since its inception, German RepRap has experienced a
huge gap between the expectations of its customers and the
actual possibilities of 3D printing technology in general.
The lack of knowledge among clients and the hype over 3D
printing created by the media were the reason behind wrong
expectations. Overcoming these false expectations to
deliver the actual result was a challenge for the firm.
We see ourselves as
the engineer’s choice,
offering full control over the
3D printing process while
having the flexibility of using
any material that the printer
can technically process
printing. 3D printing is a time-consuming process which
demands skilled individuals in different disciplines. Also,
with the technology just starting to get implemented into
university programs, it was not at all easy to find the right
set of people.
The Future that Looks Promising
As the development of the technology and the consumables
are moving so fast, German RepRap sees themselves more
than just a manufacturer of 3D printers, but also as a
consultant helping to find out if the ideas of the engineers
can be realized with their technology and if so in what
specific way.
There are fascinating times ahead for German RepRap,
especially because of the massive speed of development in
all 3D printing related fields, such as hardware, software,
and consumables. Everyone speaks about industry 4.0
where 3D Printing already will play a huge role, in
combination with the trend of customization which shows
the limits of traditional manufacturing.
At present, German RepRap serves more than 24 countries
already, and they strive to continue growing their presence
in the new markets as well. German RepRap has a strong
connection to the industry, and they plan to use that
advantage to align their R&D activities as close as possible
to the demands of the industry.
Another challenge German RepRap faced was to find the
right people that have already gained knowledge of 3D
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