The last Thursday in February, Tech in Motion: Silicon Valley successfully kicked off their very first Demo and Drinks event at the SP2 Communal Bar + Restaurant in San Jose. The topic of the night was 3D Printing and 3D Scanning. The goal was to explore where the industry is now and where it hopes to be in the future.
We were personally invested in this topic because of how much possibility this technology holds. With 3D Printing, the limit is the user and the software. Tech in Motion was pleased to have Treofab, Artec Scanning, Afinia, and UpTech3D come out and show examples of how printers, printed pieces, scanning programs, and business worked.
Here is a little bit more about the companies that came out to demo that night:
Treofab, who just came out of stealth mode, is an online market place that gives the consumer the ability to personalize and customize a product of their desire. This gives the designer the creative tools and promotional outlet for their designs, and allows the manufacturers the ability to showcase their materials, finishes, speed and delivery method.
Artec Group is a world leader in 3D scanning and 3D face recognition technologies. With offices in Luxembourg, Russia and the United States, the company manufactures and distributes various 3D vision products around the world. At Tech in Motion, they demo’d their hand-held scanner, which uses a bright strobe light to capture facial features, color, and even folds in fabric on the subject's clothing.
UpTech3D supplied attendees that night with examples of 3D printed items. UpTech3D has over 15 years in the injection molding industry and 6 years in 3D printing. They perform industrial and product design for customers in all industries.
“UpTech3D was founded to serve the newly emerging field of Personal 3D Printers, or personal rapid prototype printers," says the company website. "Our goal is to provide you with information, products and services so that you may fully utilize this amazing technology.”
The printer we had on display for tonight was provided by Afinia. The Afina 3D Printer comes fully assembled with easy to install software for both the PC and Mac. This printer can prototype a part or model that is up to 5 inches cubed in final dimensions, with an output accurate to within .15mm, and has 30% of the strength of injection molded parts.
We would like to take this time to thank to our sponsors, Workbridge Associates and Jobspring Partners, as well as thank SP2 and their staff for hosting us again! Keep up to date with Tech in Motion Silicon Valley here!