Who makes up the new wave of 3D printer adopters? The consumer market has not yet bloomed so at this point 3D printer manufacturers should be looking mostly at professionals and professional studios as the primary target market to expand their business. This includes AES (Architectural and Engineering Services) and particularly firms like Pickering Associates, a US East Coast based company that operates in multiple professional service fields, including project management, architecture and surveying as well as civil, structural, mechanical, electrical and process engineering.
When picturing new waves of 3D printing expansion, these are the fields that – right after industrial rapid prototyping – first come to mind. It does, however, sound a whole lot different when the company itself speaks about the immediate and tangible benefits of a newly purchased 3D printer.
Pickering Associates has just bought a new, unspecified 3D printer (judging by the looks of the architectural model in the photo release it might be a Projet x60 by 3D Systems) and is now offering its clients access to a wide range of new services. “The acquisition of our new 3D printer will allow us to model new buildings, processes and components on a whole new level,” explained Pickering Associates CEO, Chip Pickering. “It will allow our clients to be able to easily envision their process layout and components in a way that has not been available in our region in decades.”
The main advantage, particularly evident in architectural projects as well as in some fields of product and structural engineering, is that through 3D printing the company’s clients will no longer have to rely solely on virtual files and documents to picture the finished projects but will be able to hold scale models of each concept, with all the added benefits of increased precision and clarity that will ensue.
Another aspect that Pickering Associates is focusing on is the communication aspect. The company sees 3D printed physical models as a more efficient communication tool. It will give their clients the opportunity to use the 3D printed models for interacting with and updating key project stakeholders. Or for fundraising purposes, giving potential investors a clearer idea of what they are buying into.
“3D printing is a great tool of communication and we’re thrilled to be able to be on the frontlines, bringing this technology to our clients and our community, at large,” commented Ryan Taylor, President of Pickering Associates. We are seeing a definite trend emerge here, I reported earlier this week on how Deloitte, a completely different type of services firm, operating in an entirely different sector, has embraced 3D printing as a mean to improve production methods and processes too. Many more are likely to follow.
