FELIXprinters celebrates 10 years

Ten years of growth and innovation

31 October marks the date that FELIXprinters was officially registered as a company.  10 years later  the company has grown to produce innovative 3D printers across a wide scope of the 3D printing market.

How it all started

The foundation that FELIXprinters is built on is that of innovation.  10 years ago, founder and CEO  Guillaume Feliksdal, built the FELIX 1 from his home in the Netherlands.  His background in engineering and experience in the industrial automation and robotics fields were the pillars that the machine was built on.

Eventually his father, Wilgo Feliksdal, with his years of experience in process automation and production, partnered with Guillaume to establish FELIXprinters as a fully-fledged business full time.

It was obvious that there was potential to put the product on the market.  The first FELIXprinter was sold and it became clear that there are many factors to take into consideration to make a successful sale and to deliver a professional product. As a private individual seeing a gap in the market, every single detail needs to be thought of, from bubble wrap to printing a professional manual.

Guillaume and Wilgo were thrown in the deep end, but learned to navigate the waters very quickly, setting up professional IT support systems and creating a streamlined production process.

The first community

The first group of FELIXprinters customers were the early adapters of 3D printing. The FELIXprinters forum was a source of discussion, information and connection. Through mainly word of mouth, sales increased.  Through the inputs from the active community, FELIXprinters could implement the suggestions and wishes of its users.

Evolution of the printers

With each iteration, the 3D printers contained features that made printing easier and more convenient. There was a natural progression in the early years, leading to 3D printers that were able to print taller prints, finer print quality with better user interfaces.

FELIXprinters was mainly focused on the personal and hobbyist market.  This gradually changed with the introduction of the FELIX Pro 3 and the FELIX Pro L and XL.  This new printer line-up was exceptionally suitable for professional and industrial use.  On the one hand due to its size, the printers were able to handle bigger production runs.  On the other hand, the bar was significantly raised in terms of the technology incorporated in the hardware and software.

This shift in focus matched what we were also seeing happening in the market.  According to a Market Analysis Report of Grand View Research, published in May 2021, “the industrial printer segment led the market and accounted for more than 76% share of the global revenue in 2020.”

This market evolution was also a defining factor in the focus for FELIXprinters.

Way of working

A number of industrial clients have approached FELIXprinters with business challenges that require a customized 3D printing solution.  Practically this means printing with:

• New material types, like food, chocolate, high temperature exotic filaments and bio materials.
• A series of printers with the ability to print and produce 24/7 without human intervention.
• Specialized print-head formats such as multiple extruders.

Some of the highlight of our customization projects:

A delicious project

3D printing delivers on the need to mass-produce chocolate in new an intricate forms that can only be created with the use of a 3D printer. This was a challenge in which we worked with multiple providers to optimize the supply, temperature, packaging and food safety. With this project we got to showcase our leadership in product design an automation, and we couldn’t be prouder in serving this client.

Mass personalization

Mass personalization was an academic term ten to twenty years ago, but today, 3D printing is also making this a reality.  We engineered a large series of industrial 3D printers that print individualized consumer designed products.  Orders are received from clients who specify exactly what they want printed and with the use of exotic filament that require very high temperatures to ensure durability and strength, each unique product is delivered, 24/7.

Customizable 3D BIOprinting

Bioprinting is a platform that is allowing scientists and research to explore the possibilities within their field and the 3D environment imitates the conditions under which cells move and live.  The FELIX BIOprinter was launched in partnership with a consortium of universities and scientists and has been adopted by visionaries with the aim to help you to find answers to questions about what is limiting us as humans to live optimal, healthy lives.

The future

What does the future hold for FELIXprinters and for the Additive Manufacturing industry?

According to co-founder Wilgo Feliksdal, the adoption of 3D printing is becoming the norm for more and more industries with the goal of faster production, personalised output and decreased costs. There is still work to be done to bring the possibilities of 3D printing to the fore for various industries.  Creatively tackling this problem by inspiring others with the possibilities and benefits of 3D printing is a tool in overcoming this obstacle, and making 3D printing a still more obvious choice for innovators today and in the future.