A while ago, Mark Lee took a visit to G-star 2014, one of the largest video gaming shows in the world, and, as readers may recall, found a 3D printer there. As it turned out to our surprise, it was the only printer at the show. Curious about this printer, I decided to do a follow-up investigation, and, here, I will share some of what I found.
The printer is called the ‘Moment’ and, despite its rather sudden appearance in the world, the company seems to be growing very quickly. According to my research, the first public appearance of the Moment goes back only four months to the Asian Games 2014, held last September in Incheon, Korea. The Moment 3D printer seems to have made its public debut in the SK Telecom promotion booth. The SK staff used a Moment machine to print custom items to enhance the performances of athletes. This small start led Moment to have a ‘Make Your Own Phone Case’ event in several SK Telecom phone shops in and around Seoul. For those outside Asia, SK Telecom is the largest mobile communication corporations in South Korea.
Next, Moment teamed up with Green Computer Art School in Seoul and began to provide their printers to the school. The Green Computer Art School is one of the biggest computer schools in Korea, having more than 20 campuses nationwide and teaching all kinds of classes, ranging from computer languages, video editing, and software, to 3D modeling, app development, and web designing. The Moment made its educational debut on the 21st of December at the Gangnam campus in downtown Seoul.
I myself was a student at the school a while back. I attended the Busan branch to learn about Microsoft Office. The school is considered the go-to place whenever people want to improve any computer skills or gain expertise in computer-related areas. As soon as I heard that the Moment hooked up with Green Computer Art School, I knew that they were likely to become one of the leading 3D printer companies in Korea.
Moment next made an appearance at the 2014 Smart E-Learning Exhibition in Busan with AceGaon Co., Ltd, a well-established design firm that specializes in the development of safety products for young children and babies. AceGaon provides their products to major retailers and companies such as Samsung and Lotte Department Stores. While I do not know the extent of Moment’s relationship with AceGaon yet, such a relationship isn’t too difficult to imagine, given AceGaon’s product design business needs.
Earlier this month, they also donated their printers to Incheon Dangha Middle School and had an educational workshop for teachers and students. I was told that these moves are part of their “Moment Edu” program, in which the printer manufacturer collects applications from schools, teachers, and students that elaborate why the applicants need a 3D printer and explains how they plan to utilize it. The printer is then donated to a school on the 25th of every month, along with Simplify 3D software, three rolls of PLA filament, and a free educational workshop. The application for the Moment Edu program can be found on Moment’s website. I was told that an English language version of their website is under construction, but not yet available.
Lastly, I was also told that Moment is actively involved in moving their products beyond the borders of Korea. So far, talks are being held with 12 countries: Australia, Russia, The Philippines, Brunei, Japan, China, Twain, India, France, England, Singapore and Malaysia. Some of the countries listed have already imported Moment printers and some are still testing the samples they received. It seems that not only is Moment developing, but developing in the flash of a moment.
