For years, co-founders Paul Sieradzki and Petra Wood ran a 3D printing service bureau in New York. As they worked day to day with the printers, they experienced firsthand the challenges of scaling the business. Desktop machines needed constant attention and repair, while industrial systems were expensive and often locked users into proprietary materials, software, and service contracts. Neither offered what his business really needed. So instead of accepting those limitations, he decided to build something different.
That decision eventually became R3 Printing, a company that spent nearly eight years developing its own industrial fused filament fabrication (FFF) platform. It was the printer he wished had existed while running the service bureau. Together, they launched their first commercial FFF system earlier this year.
Now based in Los Angeles, the startup is entering a more competitive industrial polymer market with a unique message to its competitors. The duo claims their new printers are designed, assembled, and tested in the United States. They also support open materials and aim to make high-performance polymer printing more accessible without giving up industrial capabilities.
And lucky for them, the timing may be working in the company’s favor. The company’s launch comes at a time when American manufacturing is getting more attention. As more customers look at where their equipment is made, Wood said the “Made in the USA” message has become more important than the company originally thought.
“With domestic production, this interest in American-made industrial equipment has grown. But that wasn’t always expected to be a major selling point,” Wood tells 3DPrint.com. “At first we thought it would be a bonus. But now, there’s a big push to seek out American-specific companies. It depends on the customer. For government customers, obviously that’s important. For others it’s more of a bonus, but with aerospace and similar industries they definitely need American systems.”
R3 printer. Image courtesy of R3.
The company estimates that roughly 80% of its printers are sourced domestically, with final assembly, research and development, and manufacturing all taking place in California. Some components still come from Europe, but Sieradzki explained that the decision to manufacture in the U.S. was intentional despite the higher costs.
“There’s no doubt that making things in the U.S. is more expensive,” he said. “But it can be done because we did it. You just have to be smart about it. And that philosophy extends beyond manufacturing. Instead of just assembling existing technologies, R3 questioned nearly every aspect of industrial FFF design.”
For Sieradzki, the journey to make his own machine began when he realized desktop machines required constant monitoring, while enterprise systems were expensive and restricted.
“There was this huge gap in the marke
For years, co-founders Paul Sieradzki and Petra Wood ran a 3D printing service bureau in New York. As they worked day to day with the printers, they experienced firsthand the challenges of scaling the business. Desktop machines needed constant attention and repair, while industrial systems were expensive and often locked users into proprietary materials, software, and service contracts. Neither offered what his business really needed. So instead of accepting those limitations, he decided to build something different.
That decision eventually became R3 Printing, a company that spent nearly eight years developing its own industrial fused filament fabrication (FFF) platform. It was the printer he wished had existed while running the service bureau. Together, they launched their first commercial FFF system earlier this year.
Now based in Los Angeles, the startup is entering a more competitive industrial polymer market with a unique message to its competitors. The duo claims their new printers are designed, assembled, and tested in the United States. They also support open materials and aim to make high-performance polymer printing more accessible without giving up industrial capabilities.
And lucky for them, the timing may be working in the company’s favor. The company’s launch comes at a time when American manufacturing is getting more attention. As more customers look at where their equipment is made, Wood said the “Made in the USA” message has become more important than the company originally thought.
“With domestic production, this interest in American-made industrial equipment has grown. But that wasn’t always expected to be a major selling point,” Wood tells 3DPrint.com. “At first we thought it would be a bonus. But now, there’s a big push to seek out American-specific companies. It depends on the customer. For government customers, obviously that’s important. For others it’s more of a bonus, but with aerospace and similar industries they definitely need American systems.”
R3 printer. Image courtesy of R3.
The company estimates that roughly 80% of its printers are sourced domestically, with final assembly, research and development, and manufacturing all taking place in California. Some components still come from Europe, but Sieradzki explained that the decision to manufacture in the U.S. was intentional despite the higher costs.
“There’s no doubt that making things in the U.S. is more expensive,” he said. “But it can be done because we did it. You just have to be smart about it. And that philosophy extends beyond manufacturing. Instead of just assembling existing technologies, R3 questioned nearly every aspect of industrial FFF design.”
For Sieradzki, the journey to make his own machine began when he realized desktop machines required constant monitoring, while enterprise systems were expensive and restricted.
“There was this huge gap in the marke