Plasmics: Pioneering Accessible, High-Quality 3D Printing Solutions with Revolutionary FDM Technology

Founded in Vienna, Austria, in 2018, Plasmics has rapidly distinguished itself in the additive manufacturing landscape. The core philosophy driving Plasmics is the development of groundbreaking 3D printing solutions that eliminate the steep learning curve typically associated with specialized knowledge. This commitment to user-friendliness and accessibility, coupled with an unwavering dedication to high-quality, innovative printing, has allowed Plasmics to establish a strong presence across diverse industries. The company currently focuses its advanced FDM printing applications primarily on critical sectors such as medical technology, industrial production, and high-performance sports, where precision and reliability are paramount.

A prime example of Plasmics’ innovative spirit was last year’s unveiling of their DeltaS FDM printer at Formnext. This particular machine garnered significant attention for its exceptional design and intuitive user interface, setting new benchmarks for usability in professional 3D printing. The DeltaS boasts an open system architecture, providing unparalleled flexibility to print with a vast array of materials, all while maintaining outstanding quality and remarkable speed. This impressive performance is largely attributed to its in-house developed INo Trident hotend, a technological marvel that utilizes induction heating. Capable of reaching temperatures up to 250°C in an astonishing four seconds, the INo Trident hotend left an indelible impression on industry experts and the 3Dnatives team alike at Formnext 2023, showcasing a significant leap forward in hotend technology.

To delve deeper into the origins and vision of this innovative company, we had the distinct pleasure of conducting an exclusive interview with Plasmics founder, Konrad Schreiner. During our conversation, Mr. Schreiner shared valuable insights into the inception of Plasmics, the journey of developing its array of innovative products, and his perspective on the future trajectory of 3D printing. We also explored Plasmics’ strategic contributions to shaping this future, underscoring their commitment to advancing additive manufacturing capabilities for a broader user base.

3DN: Could you briefly introduce yourself and tell us how you got into 3D printing?

“Hello, my name is Konrad Schreiner, and I am the founder of Plasmics. My journey into the fascinating world of 3D printing began quite unexpectedly after a significant personal incident. I almost lost my big toe during a skiing accident, and this experience brought to light a glaring inadequacy in the market: the severe lack of sensible, personalized solutions for ski boots and insoles. The inability to find a customized product that truly met my individual needs was a profound realization and, frankly, quite a shock at the time. This pivotal moment sparked an intense curiosity and a desire to find a better way.”

“Despite holding a business degree, my true passion had always gravitated towards mechanics and technology. Even in the early days, long before the widespread availability of 3D printing kits, I found immense satisfaction in experimenting, building, and ultimately creating functional parts. There was a unique reward in constructing a machine capable of producing tangible items. Driven by my personal history and the identified market gap, I made the decision to pivot my career path, leaving my position in the pharmaceutical sector to fully immerse myself in this exciting and nascent field. The sheer fascination with 3D printing, combined with its immense potential to address complex problems through innovative manufacturing approaches, served as the primary catalyst that motivated me to establish Plasmics. It was clear to me that this technology held the key to unlocking highly personalized and effective solutions that were previously unattainable.”

3DN: How did Plasmics come about and what is the aim of the company?

“Our initial ambition at Plasmics was to specialize directly in the production of customized ski boots. However, after developing the first prototypes and conducting extensive further research, we quickly identified the fundamental challenge that prevented others from successfully entering this niche: the pervasive lack of quality and reliability inherent in traditional FDM printing. This realization shifted our focus profoundly. When you consider scenarios like skiing in treacherous and inaccessible terrain, the reliability and quality of your equipment can literally be a matter of life or death. This extreme example underscored the critical need for uncompromising quality in manufacturing.”

“This formative experience deeply inspired me to seek a robust solution that would enable the production of personalized, multi-material 3D printed products with consistent, unimpeachable quality. Our goal was to directly confront and resolve this core issue. We recognized that this challenge extends far beyond ski boots, impacting vital sectors such as sports equipment, medical devices, and protective gear, where performance and safety are non-negotiable. These are precisely the strategic areas in which Plasmics has chosen to specialize and make a significant impact.”

“At Plasmics, our dedicated team is at the forefront of revolutionizing traditional manufacturing processes and supply chains through advanced additive manufacturing. Our central mission is clear: to develop high-quality, qualifiable 3D printing technology that is genuinely accessible to everyone, irrespective of their specialized technical skills. We firmly believe that sophisticated production should not be confined to experts but should empower a wider range of users. Our relentless pursuit of innovation, coupled with an unwavering commitment to quality and sustainable practices, drives us to continuously push the boundaries of what is achievable with 3D printing. We envision a future where our customers can effortlessly combine their unique individual needs with the highest standards of product performance and reliability, thereby transforming personalized production into a mainstream reality.”

3DN: Could you go into more detail about the different products from Plasmics? Who are the products targeting?

“Plasmics prides itself on offering a comprehensive suite of specialized 3D printing solutions designed to cater to a multitude of demanding applications. Our flagship offering is undoubtedly the DeltaS 3D printer, a state-of-the-art machine meticulously engineered and integrated with our proprietary, highly innovative INo Trident hotend. The DeltaS is envisioned and delivered as a complete, end-to-end printing solution, providing unparalleled capabilities. It is adept at processing, diligently tracking, and meticulously recording data for virtually all particularly challenging and high-performance materials. This makes the DeltaS an ideal choice for rapid prototyping, the efficient production of small to medium batches, and the creation of a diverse range of items, from crucial spare parts to highly customized orthopedic products, all with exceptional reliability and precision.”

“Beyond the DeltaS printer itself, our advanced solutions incorporate several key technologies that stand unrivaled in the current market. Central to this is our induction-heated hotend, the INo Trident, which offers the most precise and stable temperature control available in FDM printing today. Complementing this is our sophisticated filament sensor array, engineered for the precise and continuous monitoring of filament quality and dimensional consistency. These two innovations, working in tandem, are designed to virtually eliminate poor prints resulting from the subtle fluctuations in filament quality that have historically plagued 3D printing. We are confident that these advancements herald an era where inconsistent print results due to material variations become a relic of the past, significantly enhancing print success rates and overall user satisfaction.”

“Furthermore, our advanced inline auditing system provides customers with a complete and fully automated quality analysis of every single printed part. This means that each component can be thoroughly inspected and verified without manual intervention, streamlining workflows and ensuring adherence to the strictest quality standards. Crucially, our machines are also equipped with an integrated machine learning mechanism. This intelligent system continuously learns and evolves: the more frequently Plasmics printers are deployed and operated worldwide, the more the underlying artificial intelligence improves its algorithms. This collective learning process enables our AI to progressively assist customers in consistently achieving the highest possible print quality, optimizing settings and predicting potential issues before they arise across our global network of devices.”

“In addition to our core printing platforms, we have developed a truly custom-made solution specifically for printing insoles – a solution so advanced it can genuinely rival those crafted by experienced podiatrists. Feetneeds, our latest addition to the product family, represents an innovative and transformative solution for the production of highly customized insoles. By leveraging Plasmics’ proprietary 3D printing technologies and fostering close collaboration with leading medical experts, we provide a hands-off, automated solution for insole production. The Feetneeds printers are therefore strategically aimed at a broad target market, including shoe manufacturers, specialized shoe retailers, orthopedic companies, and any other healthcare facilities where customer foot health and personalized care are paramount priorities.”

“Our cutting-edge 3D printing technologies empower our users with an ultra-compact and fully automated production machine capable of producing personalized insoles within a remarkable timeframe of just one hour. These insoles are not merely customized; they are engineered to meet stringent medical standards, offering an optimal blend of precise fit, superior shock absorption, and exceptional durability. This advanced design helps to effectively alleviate or even prevent a wide range of common foot problems. We maintain close working relationships with both medical experts and leading shoe manufacturers to ensure that our Feetneeds products consistently meet the absolute highest quality and safety regulations, providing both practitioners and patients with confidence. We are also actively working on integrating the capabilities for manufacturing such highly specialized solutions directly via our versatile DeltaS platform, further expanding its utility and impact.”

3DN: To what extent are the DeltaS printers self-learning and how does this benefit the end user?

“The self-learning capabilities of our DeltaS printers represent a significant stride towards truly intelligent additive manufacturing. We’ve equipped each printer with an advanced camera system that meticulously captures images of printed objects from a variety of predefined perspectives. This visual data is then processed to extract crucial information about the print’s quality, dimensional accuracy, and potential imperfections. All this aggregated data is then made available to a sophisticated, centralized learning algorithm. What’s truly revolutionary is that while the machines are physically distributed across the globe – operating in a decentralized manner – they all contribute to a common purpose, continuously learning and improving collectively. This creates a powerful network effect, where every printer’s experience enhances the intelligence of the entire fleet.”

“By seamlessly combining cutting-edge computer vision technology with advanced machine learning algorithms, our customers benefit from unparalleled automated quality control and proactive error correction. This intelligent system can identify anomalies, predict potential failures, and even suggest corrective actions, significantly increasing the reliability and consistency of every print. The profound advantage for the end-user is a dramatic increase in the user-friendliness of our printers, drastically reducing the reliance on highly specialized expertise. This innovative approach makes professional-grade 3D printing accessible to a much broader audience, lowering the barrier to entry for complex additive manufacturing. Furthermore, it substantially improves the overall efficiency of printing processes by minimizing waste, reducing rework, and ensuring that optimal print quality is consistently achieved with minimal human intervention, thereby driving down operational costs and increasing productivity for businesses of all sizes.”

3DN: Could you tell us more about the INo Trident hotend? Why did you choose an induction hotend and what advantages does it offer?

“The INo Trident hotend is not merely a component; it is an essential, transformative element at the heart of our advanced 3D printing solutions. It stands out fundamentally because it is an inductively heated hotend, a radical departure from conventional heating methodologies. Instead of relying on traditional resistive heating cartridges, the INo Trident ingeniously converts energy into heat by utilizing a carefully modulated magnetic field. This magnetic field acts as a ‘wireless’ conduit, efficiently transferring energy from an induction coil directly to the nozzle itself. The underlying principle is remarkably similar to that of an induction stove, demonstrating the elegance and efficiency of this approach. This innovative design has allowed us to dramatically reduce the thermal mass directly on the nozzle, which in turn enables significantly faster heating and cooling cycles. Crucially, it also ensures exceptionally constant and precise temperature control throughout the entire printing process, which is critical for material integrity and print quality.”

“This truly innovative solution offers a multitude of advantages that directly translate into superior print outcomes. The most prominent benefit is the achievement of consistently uniform extrusion, which is foundational to high-quality 3D prints. This is particularly vital when engaged in complex multi-material printing applications, where precise temperature management for different filament types is paramount, and when utilizing temperature-sensitive filaments that require narrow thermal windows for optimal performance. The stable and rapid heating provided by the INo Trident mitigates issues such as inconsistent layer adhesion, stringing, and clogs, leading to much more reliable and aesthetically pleasing results. I am profoundly convinced that our induction hotend will not only continue to redefine current FDM capabilities but will also unlock even more advanced functionalities and applications in 3D printing in the years to come, pushing the boundaries of what is possible with additive manufacturing technology.”

3DN: Where do you see Plasmics’ products in the current market for 3D printers and accessories?

“In the current highly competitive market for 3D printers and their essential accessories, Plasmics distinguishes itself not only with integrated solutions but also by offering our core technologies as standalone components. We actively sell the INo, our revolutionary induction nozzle, and the FourRunner, our robust 4-wheel-driven extruder, separately to allow broader access to our innovations. Both of these products are positioned at a competitive price point, offering exceptional value for their advanced capabilities. While the INo induction hotend might represent a slightly higher initial investment compared to conventional resistive hotends, the returns on this investment are realized very quickly, particularly for professional users. With an impressive Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE) often exceeding 70%, the operational benefits and efficiencies rapidly offset the upfront cost. Even within our own extensive testing, we acknowledge that we haven’t yet utilized the INo nozzle to its absolute full potential, highlighting its vast untapped capacity. Furthermore, the substantial energy savings, typically ranging from 25% to 40% when compared to conventionally heated hotends, present a compelling economic and environmental advantage. Beyond the economics, the INo’s unique internal geometry is meticulously designed to facilitate the easier and more consistent extrusion of virtually any material, enhancing material compatibility and print reliability.”

“The INo hotend is specifically engineered as an exceptionally effective tool for discerning ‘professional users’ who are actively seeking a truly reliable, high-performance product and are ready to move away from the often-frustrating inconsistencies and low performance associated with cheap, conventional alternatives. With the INo hotend, we confidently guarantee a tangible improvement in print quality, a significant boost in operational efficiency, and a markedly enhanced user-friendliness that streamlines the entire 3D printing workflow. Moreover, our innovative design contributes directly to resource conservation, offering significant savings in both energy consumption and filament usage. This is largely due to the remarkable reduction in misprints experienced by INo users, which translates directly into less material waste and lower energy overheads, making it a sustainable choice for advanced manufacturing.”

“At Plasmics, all our core technologies have been meticulously developed and refined in the heart of Europe. This strategic decision allows us to maintain stringent quality control and foster continuous innovation close to our roots. We are proud to be at the absolute leading edge of what is currently possible with FDM 3D printing, consistently pushing boundaries and setting new industry standards. Our commitment extends to producing locally, which not only ensures superior quality but also supports regional economies and reduces our environmental footprint. We take immense pride in the fact that genuine innovation originates from our company, and that our groundbreaking solutions are garnering attention and trust from a diverse global clientele, spanning from our European base to sophisticated markets in the USA and Japan. This international recognition validates our approach and fuels our ambition to remain a global leader in additive manufacturing.”

3DN: Where do you see Plasmics and 3D printing in the next 5-10 years?

“Looking ahead over the next 5-10 years, I envision Plasmics achieving a prominent leadership position, specifically as the foremost provider in the production of 3D-printed insoles through our dedicated Feetneeds brand. We are committed to empowering orthopedic technicians and medical professionals by providing them with direct, cutting-edge product and production expertise, revolutionizing how custom medical devices are created. Within Plasmics, our induction nozzle, in particular, will play a pivotal role in facilitating the localization of manufacturing processes – a key aspect of ‘nearshoring.’ This technology will significantly accelerate and customize production capabilities, allowing for agile, on-demand manufacturing closer to the point of need. We are confident that Plasmics will make a substantial and lasting contribution to the continued evolution and advancement of 3D printing technology globally.”

“Thanks to our deep expertise in the intricate field of additive manufacturing, we are uniquely positioned to inject vital impetus into the market. We do this by offering the most reliable and seamlessly integrated combination of hardware and software solutions available today. Our work demonstrably shows that our customers can effectively leverage FDM technology not just as a prototyping tool, but as a genuinely cost-effective and high-quality scaling technology for serious production. We are actively taking FDM printing to an entirely new level of performance, precision, and application versatility, broadening its industrial appeal and utility.”

“3D printing, as an transformative production method, has undergone an astounding pace of development in recent years, and I unequivocally continue to see it as a primary driving force for innovation and profound change across a multitude of industries. Over the coming 5-10 years, additive manufacturing will achieve even greater traction and widespread adoption in critical sectors such as industrial manufacturing, advanced medicine, aerospace, and numerous other specialized fields. It will consistently provide innovative, bespoke solutions to increasingly complex challenges, enabling breakthroughs that were once unimaginable. The ability to create intricate geometries, produce customized parts on demand, and rapidly iterate designs will become an indispensable tool for competitiveness.”

“Moreover, within the next decade, 3D printing is poised to replace further sequential steps in current traditional manufacturing workflows, thereby significantly stabilizing global production chains. Imagine a future where industries are less vulnerable to disruptive events, such as a major container ship getting wedged in the Suez Canal, causing massive logistical bottlenecks. With localized 3D printing capabilities, we will become considerably less dependent on distant imports and complex global shipping routes. This shift towards distributed, on-demand production will also inherently make 3D printing a more sustainable manufacturing method, reducing transportation emissions and minimizing waste. Consequently, the future outlook for 3D printing, and for Plasmics’ role within it, appears exceptionally bright and filled with transformative potential.”

3DN: Do you have any last words for our readers?

“At Plasmics, innovation is not merely a buzzword; it is an intrinsic value and the guiding principle that underpins everything we do. From our very inception, Plasmics has been laser-focused on developing truly innovative solutions to instigate meaningful change within the additive manufacturing landscape. Our objective is to respond even more effectively and dynamically to the evolving requirements and sophisticated demands of our valued customers. We firmly believe that embracing innovation is the only logical and sustainable path forward in a rapidly changing technological world. It’s truly an exciting time, as there are many exceptionally interesting and pioneering 3D printing companies emerging and thriving across Europe. We wholeheartedly celebrate and commend all those who are boldly pushing the boundaries and taking calculated risks to achieve something genuinely new and groundbreaking in the realm of FDM 3D printing. This collaborative spirit of innovation drives the entire industry forward.”

“We are profoundly convinced that this environment will foster the emergence of countless new ideas and that FDM printing, in particular, will continue its remarkable development trajectory, largely owing to its inherent ease of use and expanding capabilities. We are genuinely excited to witness and actively contribute to this ongoing journey of innovation. We eagerly anticipate being an integral part of this transformative period in additive manufacturing. If you are keen to discover more about our visionary company, our cutting-edge technologies, and the innovative products we offer, we warmly invite you to explore our comprehensive website!”

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*All Photo Credits: Plasmics