The story began when Lozdziejski, while studying in California, bought a printer kit and fell in love with the project. Once he arrived in Uruguay, he began working on it.
One of his ideas was that the printer should be simple, affordable, and widely available. With the help of four colleagues, he built the model he envisioned, which is now sold throughout Latin America.
-How did the idea to create a 3D printer come about?
The idea started in California. I was studying there and bought a kit to build a printer. I put it together, loved it, and wanted to keep doing it. I started researching how to design my own model. I reached out to a French expert in this technology who was developing a very simple model, and I thought it would be perfect to work on in the future. Later, I got in touch with some friends who were studying at Stanford University (United States), and they helped me with the business plan and with contacts in Montevideo.
-Are you the first manufacturers of this model in Uruguay?
Yes, we are the first manufacturers; there are imported models, but the price is different.
- How much does yours cost?
The kit, which includes everything you need to assemble it, costs $600; the assembled version costs $700; and there’s also the option to buy the printer and attend an assembly workshop for $800. In contrast, imported models are in the $3,000 range.
-Why the price difference?
Ours is a minimalist, simple model. Other printers have many parts that serve only to hide how they work and to give them the look of an expensive product. We don’t want our printer to have any secrets; we want people to see it for what it is and understand how it works. Plus, we want it to be mass-market, and in Uruguay, you can’t sell a printer for $2,000 and expect it to be mass-market.
-What is the raw material ?
The material used by this printer is PLA (polylactic acid), a biodegradable plastic made from plant-based materials such as corn or sugarcane. We import it from China, but it’s also available in Uruguay for $50 per kilo, which is enough to print 400 chess pieces. We’re exploring the possibility of using other materials, but for now we’re still in the research phase.
-What are the features of this model?
First, it can be self-replicated, which means that all of its plastic parts are 3D-printable. It’s easy to clone and share, and anyone with patience and a screwdriver can assemble it. Another feature is that it’s open-source, meaning the models are available for you to download, modify, and create new variations. The idea is that whatever you invent, you share it with the community—you can’t keep it to yourself.
- How does it work?
First, it levels the surface; if the surface is uneven, it corrects the angle. Then it melts the plastic and builds the object layer by layer. We added a small fan to cool the layers as they are printed, which helps produce a better-quality part.
- What is the maximumprint size?
It is 15 by 15 by 15 centimeters. Larger items can be printed using interlocking parts.
-Have you sold any yet? Who are your customers?
Yes, we’ve sold 30 machines, five of which are this latest model. Our customers include the Crandon Institute, the Ceibal Plan, the School of Architecture, and the Danston firm, which is set to open a 3D internet café.
- How can the average person use it?
You can do anything—the sky's the limit. The most popular items are mugs, which you can customize and shape however you like. You can also use a Kinect to scan people and print figurines of them.
-What do you think the future of 3D printing will look like?
In the future, everyone will have a 3D printer at home, and people won’t have to buy plastic products—they’ll just print them. Products will be manufactured locally, and people will transition from consumers to creators.
Neither Lozdziejski nor Jan Szolno, one of his partners in this project, is interested in selling just one or two machines; rather, they want to “dominate the market and become the largest company in South America.”
To make this happen, they devote as much time as they can and spend a large portion of their paychecks. “We come here after work and spend hours here, plus we dedicate the entire weekend to it. We’re doing this on our own, investing our entire paychecks since we don’t have any funding, but we believe it’s going to be a revolution.”