Inkjet & Digital Printing

ZPrinting Technology Powers Solid-Ideas Prototyping Service Bureau

Tuesday 11. January 2011 - Model and Prototype Maker Delivers Speed, Quality and Affordability with Superior 3D Printing Technology

Solid-Ideas, a San Francisco area prototyping service bureau, is using Z Corporation 3D printing technology to power a thriving business serving clients in product development, architecture, healthcare and more.
“ZPrinting is far and away the most popular form of model fabrication we offer,” said Solid-Ideas co-founder and partner Oscar Sarlandt. “It’s fast, economical and multicolor-capable with high-quality finish and resolution.”
ZPrinter capabilities like these have helped Solid-Ideas distinguish itself with superior service. A harried product developer, for example, recently needed a set of product models both created and shipped across the country in less than 24 hours. “We did it with a couple hours to spare,” said Sarlandt. “The ZPrinter is fast, the throughput is high, and we do whatever it takes to help a client succeed on time and on budget.”
Few clients push deadlines like students who need models for end-of-year engineering or architecture projects. Students send CAD files and Solid-Ideas – leveraging the ZPrinter’s 5x-to-10x speed advantage – delivers students’ models in plenty of time to present final projects. The firm serves students across the US at institutions such as Yale, Penn State, and California College of the Arts. Word of mouth about Solid-Ideas’ fast turnaround and service is spreading, and department heads have begun reserving time with Solid-Ideas for final projects.
Solid-Ideas’ work never gets dull. The firm recently ZPrinted models of:
— an 18-inch mini-submarine being developed by NASA;
— a hospital complex. The model was used for wind tunnel testing to
analyze wind velocities in alleyways; and
— boulders for a shopping mall water feature. The client took the model
with him to the quarry as he selected rocks for the project.
In serving customers, Sarlandt combines ZPrinting with expertise he gained as a practicing engineer at some of the world’s most prominent companies, including Caterpillar, 3M and Ingersoll Rand. “Because we’ve been there and done that in a wide range of settings, we have insight into where customers are in the development process, what kind of models they need today, what kind they might need in the future and, if they want our advice, how they might improve a product. Either way, we couldn’t do it without Z Corporation technology.”