One company who is making a big impact in the 3D printing industry in Argentina is Trideo. I was fortunate enough to be able to speak to one of the co-founders, Nicolas Berenfeld. Here is their story:
Hi Nicolas, how did Trideo start?
“My idea for Trideo started when I was introduced to this technology when I was incubated in the CMD (Centro Metropolitano de Diseño) for another startup. I then met Laurent who is now my business partner and the person with whom I started the company. Our initial idea was to make just one 3D printer for ourselves to see how it worked but we soon discovered that there was a big demand for them. We decided to build a few open-source models (Prusa I3) to sell and within a month we had over seven orders! So we carried on making the printers but decided to stop the commercialization soon after because we realized that this model was not very easy to use for those who are just starting up in the 3D printing world because it requires technical knowledge that a lot of people lack. That is when we decided to start designing and developing our own model focusing on the user experience. The idea was to make a printer which was much more robust and much easier to use. We had to develop the hardware of the machine, the firmware, and also the software so it was 3 different developments. With 3D printing you always need a slicing software to choose the printing parameters. Normally, here in Argentina, people use open-source programs which are good, but the interface is really complicated. So we developed a much more user-friendly interface that works with an open-source slicing software. We created a basic and advanced mode to allow people to have the flexibility of choosing the parameter that they wanted. We launched the first model, the PrintBox, in March 2015 and soon after we released a bigger model due to popular demand. We now have the PrintBox Max and the mini PrintBox. The volume of the PrintBox Max is 4 times greater than that of the PrintBox and has since become our best-selling model.”
What kind of people tend to buy these printers?
“There are different types of people interested to buy them. Firstly there is the makers’ community which buy the printers in order to print parts for other hardware development. Then there are architects, engineering universities, tool and die making shops, design studios and also some technical high schools. There is a huge variety of users. 3D printing can have a big impact in lots of different communities.”
Do you print parts for customers as well?
“Not really. We only offer that service to big companies which have a big print order. If we get requests to do this, then, we get them in touch with some of our clients who offer on demand 3D Printing Service. We tell them these people have our machines and they are trustworthy so the quality of the work is guaranteed. It is a way to give back to our clients. “
What is your objective in the long run? Are you looking to expand?
“Yes, we are certainly looking to expand. Right now we are in the process of expanding to Brazil because of the size of the market there. The idea is to be able to sell our product in different countries in South America. There is no big player in the 3D printing industry at the moment in this area of the world. The major global actors like Makerbot or Ultimaker have resellers here but normally they don’t specialise in 3D printing. People also tend to trust more a company with local technical support, especially when adopting a new technology. So we are trying to take advantage of this lack of competition and trying to be the first big local player!”
Do you have any future projects coming up?
“Yes, we do! Firstly, we are going to a launch a DIY kit for the PrintBox model. The idea is to target education institutions like schools and universities. Selling it as a kit means that we can sell it at a lower price so we can target more people. The price will work out as more or less half of the PrintBox. We want to try to develop a network of workshops where you go and can build your machine with a teacher showing you how. We will also have video instructions and tutorials online so people can build them at home. Secondly, we are also looking into developing a bio-printer which means being able to print human cells. We hope to have the first prototype of this in July of this year and then see if we can attract some interest from investors because we feel that bioprinting is going to be huge in the future! The long-term objective is to be able to print organs but there is a long way to go on this obviously.”
What is it like to be an entrepreneur in Buenos Aires?
“Argentina is quite an unstable country so one day you may have a problem and then the next you may feel like everything is going to be solved. It is even harder when you are a foreigner because there is obviously the language barrier, but also some paperwork can be harder to get done. It’s also more difficult to get help from the authorities. You are always juggling between problems and delays especially when you are manufacturing hardware so it is all about how you can react to them and find a quick fix. Otherwise, I think it is a great place to be an entrepreneur. The ecosystem is really dynamic and there are a lot of technological startups, and it is a really energizing environment. A lot of people here are really interesting and it is a good place to start a business, even though it is not easy.”
Do you have advice for any future entrepreneurs looking to come to Buenos Aires?
“I would say having a good legal assessment is very important. If you have a product, go and try it out. Don’t be scared. Just see how the market reacts and you could be pleasantly surprised.”
Last year Trideo launched a 3D Design Contest for the whole of Latin America in order to test their PrintBox Max. They asked designers for the craziest designs and last year there were two winners! Their designs got printed and the respective designers were presented with the prints. Trideo plan to do the same competition this year!
Want to see some of their prints in action? Watch them here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8yVwUz7xICE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dM7j_ULjvc0
Check out their website: http://www.trideo3d.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Trideo3D
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Trideo3D
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/trideo3d/
