Startup Süß & Friends Reinvents Everyday Objects With 3D Printing

Have you ever heard of Süß & friends? The young German company stands out in the world of 3D printing thanks to its unusual name and but also its creativity, as attested by the jury of the 3D Pioneers Challenge The company won in the “DIGITAL” and “Design for Manufacturing” categories by reinventing an age-old everyday object: the brush. We caught up with company founder Philipp Süß to find out more about the mission of Süß & friends and how they came up with their idea for this year’s 3D Pioneers Challenge. The mechanical engineer also discusses the diversity of his customer base and how his team helps other companies get started with additive manufacturing.

3DN: Can you briefly introduce yourself and your connection to 3D printing?

Philipp Süß

Hi, I’m Philipp Süß, founder of Süß & friends. I have been working in the field of additive manufacturing since I was a student and and have seen in various industrial projects how difficult it can be for companies to enter this field. For a successful application, a change in thinking is required, the so-called additive thinking. At the same time, new design methods using modern CAD software must be employed to exploit the full potential of this technology. For this reason, I founded the engineering company Süß & friends in 2017 to support companies with the entry hurdles as well as to develop products optimized specifically for additive processes.

3DN: Süß & friends has an unconventional name compared to other companies in the industry. How did the idea for it come about and what distinguishes your company?

For a young 3D printing company, company names that include words like “tech”, “digital” or “3D” are obvious, but our name should stand for more than terms associated with this industry. Collaboration with other specialists and companies is often essential for the successful development and manufacture of 3D printed components. These can be, for example, the manufacturers of 3D printing equipment and materials, software producers, 3D printing service providers and, above all, the employees at the customer’s site. I think it’s important, especially with a completely digital technology like additive manufacturing, to be able to discuss with each other on a common level. That’s the only way to come up with new ideas and technical solutions. We want to express these aspects of our work, this collaborative side, hence the word “friend” in our name.