These 3D printing startups are making inroads into the manufacturing sector

The next big leap in manufacturing is expected to be driven by 3D printing, which is cost-efficient as well as sophisticated, garnering the attention of numerous entrepreneurs.

3D printing or additive manufacturing is slowly emerging as the de facto standard to create new things. Earlier, products were created by cutting out materials, which led to wastage and was time-consuming. But, 3D printing promises to revolutionise the whole process.

Under the 3D printing process, a three-dimensional solid object can be created through a digital file. In what is known as the additive process, any object is created by putting up successive layer of materials. This enables to produce complex shapes of objects using lesser quantity of material, as compared to the traditional methods. Further, one can also observe each layer being added to the object that is being created.

Further, 3D manufacturing is also environmentally-friendly as there is lower wastage of materials, and it is pocket-friendly as it reduces the investment or manpower required in the manufacturing process.

However, the 3D manufacturing has attracted the attention of entrepreneurs, and there are quite a few startups in this space in India. Though it is a niche segment in the country, a few startups have attracted funding. For these startups, the market opportunity is large in terms of home users, industrial users and small businesses. The big push for these startups will come from greater awareness on the benefits of 3D manufacturing.

Global 3D Labs

Currently bootstrapped, this 3D startup was established in 2014, and is headquartered in Bengaluru. Founded by Gopal Krishna, Aviral Kedia, Manish Amin and Shreyas Kudva, the company manufactures industrial and desktop 3D printers, and aims to make such printing more accessible and affordable. Apart from this, the company also provides printing and consultancy services. Its range of 3D printers includes desktop, industrial and high-temperature devices. Chocobot, a 3D printer for chocolate, is also part of its portfolio.

Fracktal Works

This Bengaluru-based startup was founded by Vijay Raghav Varada and Rohit Asil in 2014. The company was incubated under Manipal University Technology Business Incubator (MUTBI). It also has an assembly unit and an R&D workstation in the same campus. It provides an array of 3D printing services and 3D printers, which work across a variety of materials. The startup is funded by 1 Neoteric Technology Solutions and Hyderabad Angels. Their clientele includes corporate giants like Cisco, L&T, and Toshiba.

3Ding

This Chennai-based startup was founded by Surendranath Reddy in 2013. It provides a range of products like 3D printers, print materials, and on-demand custom parts services. It also came out with low-cost version of a 3D printer priced under Rs 20,000, though its range extends up to Rs 60 lakh. 3Ding serves industries like electronics, aerospace, architecture, prosthetics, robotics, and gifting, among others. The startup counts Samsung, Biocon, Mahindra Group, Michelin, and Royal Enfield among its clients.

Morphedo

Based out of Delhi, this startup was founded by Manya Jha and Sushil K Baranwal in 2015. It is an online 3D printing services platform for rapid prototyping and customised part manufacturing for businesses. They also provide 3D printing consultancy, 3D designing for 3D printing, 3D scanning for reverse engineering, etc. This startup is supported and incubated by Nexus, an international incubator established in India jointly by the US government and the University of Texas. It is recognised under the Startup India scheme by the Indian government.

3Dexter

Founded by seven individuals in 2015 and based out of Delhi, this startup has taken a different route in 3D printing. It provides experiential learning processes at the grass-root level through 3D Printing Technology. It has also designed a 3D printing curriculum for the schools in sync with the 3Dexter labs setup in schools. It focuses on building skills in visualisation, problem-solving, critical thinking, creativity and subject integration through physical experience. Besides, the startup also provides desktop and 3D printers.

Objectify Technologies

Founded by Ankit Sahu at SIIC, IIT Kanpur, in 2013, the startup offers services in the areas of additive manufacturing, 3D printing and Rapid Prototyping. It is one among the startups that provide 3D printing solution to both metal and polymer materials. The firm also delivers fully-functional prototypes to production parts.

Supercraft3D

This Bengaluru-based 3D printing startup registered in Singapore was founded in 2016 by Maltesh Somasekharappa and is focused on the healthcare sector and medical applications. It provides medical models for end users such as surgeons, educational institutes, and diagnostic centres, which helps in the precise planning of surgical procedures. The startup has raised a funding of $1 million from Flipkart co-founder Binny Bansal and four other angel investors.