VII edition of 3D Printing Days in Kielce – official report

Sometimes you take part in an even ancd you are not aware of its meaning or range. I had this possibility twice – the first time in July 2013 during the first edition of 3D Printing Days in Kielce and the second time in March during the third edition. And now, it happened once again. Last week I had an opportunity to be a witness of something wonderful which has a big influence on the future. VII 3D Printing Days in Kiecle was a historic event – and we were a part of it.

When on 7th July 2013 I came with Marcin Kwapisz do students club Wspan at the University of Kielce, we were as surprised as confused. Our imaginations about “3D printing industry” was quite different. There wasn’t any industry – instead of it we met a group of fanatics presenting primitive, amateur constructions, called proudly 3D printers.

We had 80 visitors than. When someone had told us than, than in 2,5 years our small club will be changed into the biggest trade center in Cenral Europe and we will be visited by several thousands of people, no one, would have treated it serious.

The first 3D Printing Days were historic but nowadays they have only meaning for the development of the event. For 3D printing industry more important was the third edition which was held in Targi Kielce. Although it was a little bit ameteur, it was the time, when a lot of companies creating the industry of 3D printing. That was the time, when 3NOVATICA and 3D Printers / HBot, Przemek Jaworski from ZMorph presented Voxelizera for the first time and Tomek Zwolan from Infinum 3D a concept of ODO electronics.

This edition was a milestone in the history of the industry which is officialy comercialised.

Yes, that’s true, that it was our 3rd time on Targi Kielce. Yes, that’s true that there were two editions of 3D Show, which was criticised by the industry. However, nowi t was made wit with flourish. Huge, professional trade stands, beautiful hostesses, plenty of 3D printers and fantastic 3D prints and a performance of wonderful, legendary Josef Průša.

From now, it is a huge trade event on a high level. When you passed from one exhibition hall to another, you could have seen professional machines and you couldn’t say that the surrounding was less professional.

And these two men took credit for it…

Paweł Rokita i Janusz Wójcik – the organizers of 3D Printing Days

I could write a lot of them, but it would be still the same what I’ve already told several times ago… It was an amazing job, a lot of dedication and a fantastic effect – you could say that “business as usual“.  Maybe with one exeption…

This time we could have had an opportunity to take part in an event on world level! Thanks a lot and congratulations!

A lot happend during the trade, but if I would like to sum it up, it was an article which had more than 10 000 words… Instead of it I would like to summarize it shortly. I would like to publish my personal and subjective ranking of the most interesting things which I saw and took part in them.

Josef Průša

Josef Průša – one of the most important creators of open-source in the world. A human of RepRap team of Adrian Bowyer. A creator of the most popular and mostly copied model of 3D printer in the wrold – Prusa i3. During the trade he could have been in the USA but eventually he decided to come to Poland with his team.

Until  now, we have had a few well-known and respected people from international 3D printing industry as guests. Last year in autumn, Pascal Rizzon from EMEA 3D Systems took part in 3D Show. In January 2015  Patrick Roeffen  from Ultimaker visited our CD3D Gala. But now, a legendary Josef Průša came to Kielce.

During 2 days of the trade I spent several hours talking with Josef. It’s a fantastic person, who  mantains a healthy distance from himself and his 3D surrounding.  It’s te very oposite to Steves Jobs of Polish 3D printing (if you know what I mean…). I learned about a lot of things (f.e. how Adrian Bowyer became a rich man thanks to MakerBot),  which I will publish in my interview with Josef in the next days.

Průša is launching his new device into the Polish makret (Original Prusa) – firstly I was sceptic with it (you can buy a lot of Prusas on the internet… it doesn’t matter that they’re unoriginal) but after that what he presented me, I see a great market potential in this investition. I will write about it in details soon…

Mass Portal

The stand of Spectrum Filaments – you could have find 3 huge deltas from Latvian company Mass Portal. Tomek Augustyniak mentioned about them a few days before trades and praised them, that are the best printers ever. I learned to keep my distance to this kind of information but it’s the fact that Tomek told the same about his filaments and he was right…

3D prints from Mass Portal were impressive. Unfortunatelly I didn’t take a picture of them but it’s not the same… My favourite was a circle of diameter of about 3 cm and 0,5 cm height attached to the bigger one with thin 0,01 mm thick “spokes”. I had seen something like that done in MJM. But it was PLA done on FDM 3D printer. It was incredible.

I spoke to the company’s COO – Kristers Moisejs,  who told me that a key to succes is a proper diameter of the nozzle. Like in case of Průša – I will contact him and write about these amazing 3D printers.

ODO Play

When we are talking about deltas, Tomek Zwolan from Infinum presented his 3D printers ODO Play for the first time. They are small, goood looking delstas with small but stordy wroking area of 14 x 14 x 14 cm. 3D printers are availabsle in different colors and proper for consumer market, education and small and average enerprises. Their price? – Very attractive – under 900 euro butto. As far, as I know this device will be distributed by ABS Data soon.

3D printers ODO Play are equipped with ODO Motion – Infinum’s system to set the level of the workbed. It’s possible to assembly them in every low-budget 3D printers printing in FDM. They were shown on Ultimaker 2.

igus, TierTime by Solveere i Wolfix

As I mentionet, a lot of stands looked fantastic. I had 3 favourite ones…

igus is a huge, international concern, and it’s not surprising that this stand was done with a flourish. There wasn’t any difference between it and another industrial stands in the next exhibition halls. You could have seen a lot of drive systems and special filaments.

igus impressed with impetus and Solveere with its aesthetics. The company directed by Maciek Patrzałek has a white, tidy and neat stand – as 3D printers presented during the trade  Up!’ Mini 2, similar to Apple design. .

In my opintion Wolfix had the most stylish stand. It presented the most interesting and perfect installation, I have ever seen.

 ABC Data’s conference

Independly to the trade, during the 3D Printing Days you could have taken part in conferences and lectures. I wrote about Průša’s performance and I would like to write about a leading IT reseller –  ABC Data. Its conference was held in Centrum Kongresowe Targi Kielce. CRC and we supported it in media. The other companies who presetned they lectures were: 3DKreator, 3DGence, Zortrax, Monkeyfab, Spectrum Filaments or Smart3D – a creator of Pixelio.

“Presentation” of Zortrax Inventure

Finally,the biggest embarrassment of the trade –  Zortrax Inventure… I really sympathise with people from  3D Phoenix, who instead of their honest intentions and big involvment, are still lead up the garden path byt its “partner“. As we know, Inventure is the most wanted 3D printer of last year, which still can’t be purchased. It shuld have been available from January, than from February, than from March… Now we know, that it will be available “in the end of month”, but I heard a gossip that international resellers know about April…

During the 3D Printing Days only ONE Zortrax Inventure was presented. But… it worked. But it wasn’t aailable for everyone. Zortrax co-workers wearing black shirts and trousers should have received also badges “security”, because their main aim was to defense an access to thr 3D printer. I want to stress, that not only we weren’t the lucky ones…

Day 1 – Karol Krawczyński, Paulina Winczewska and Anna Ślusarczyk wanted to obtain a piece of information but everytime the “security” told them that everything is in “the recent press report”. On Friday I wanted to try on my own. I know, that Zortrax co-workers associate me with this ten $#@!, who alwasy wirtes badly about us on his provincial blog, but this time I wanted to be a customer, who has been waiting for his 3D printer which had been purchased in January 2016.

It looked like that… I came to a nice man from 3D Phoenix.

– Hi, when will I have Zortrax Inventure? – spytałem
– The end of March.
– And precisely?
– I don’t know, I’m from 3D Phoenixa?  You have to ask boys from Zortrax…
– You know, I’m asking cause I’m wondering, if I want to wait longer or ask a reseller to give my money back.

Than “seciruty” came. Details below.

– How can I help you?W czym mogę pomóc?
– When Zortrax Inventure will be available?
– Like you wrote in your arcticle, based on our declaration.
– And precisely? A dokładnie?
– Precisely like you wrote in the article based on our declaration.
– Is it possible to know a precise date?
– Precisely like you wrote in the article based on our declaration.
– Can I quote you?
– NO!
– So, when precisely Zortrax Inventure will be available?
– <silence> Please ask my colleague. – He answered with scared eyes and pointed on Tomek Frąckowicz talking with a client. I didn’t see any sense to keep this conversation and I said sweet “thanks” and I came back to my stand.

As far as I know, 3D Phoenix has problem with customers as embittered as me. With people who paid several thousand brutto for a 3D printer and they still don’t know, when they will receive it. The situation was that complicated, that Zortrax had to make an official presentation of Inventure. Unfortunatelly, I couldn’t have taken part in it, because I had a lecture at the same time, but another members of CD3D did it.

We know that:

• this 3D printer has one nozzle, which uses basic and support material, what prolongs the time of printing (about 15% longer),
• a basic material – only Z-Ultrat, which will be available in chiped cartriges, 400 g each for about 20 euro, and a solube support material about 30 euro (also 400 g) and a solvent about 50 euro,
• filaments will have a diameter 1,75 mm, not 1,50 as it was said at the begining,
• Tomek Frąckiewicz answered for question about the temperature of nozzle, that it’a a company secret, and that you don’t need this information to print.

The presentation was held in English, the quality of pictures is bad, but basing on our earlier experiences :))

Generally speaking, I’m still wondering, if I didn’t buy a pig in a poke…

Summary

This edition of  3D Printing Days was unusual. In autumn we’re moving to Warsaw and we’re keeping our thumbs crossed for repeating their succes “away”. It will be hard, but they proved that they can rise to the task.

What’s more… VIII are planned for September and what about 3D Show? If Wójcik and Rokita have “exclusive right” for organising of trades connected with 3D printing, I don’t see any problem, cause it will be an even on the best possible level.