3D startup of the month: Voodoo Manufacturing, proving that 3D printing factories are here to stay

Each month the 3Dnatives team searches across the globe for the latest startups in 3D printing that are helping to revolutionize the industry as we know it. This month, we have chosen Voodoo Manufacturing; the New York startup who are developing 3D printing “micro-factories”, bringing a new look to customer personalization. To help learn more about this innovative startup, we spoke to Jonathan Schwartz, the Co-Founder of Voodoo Manufacturing, to have an in-depth look at Voodoo Manufacturing and to delve deeper into what they see for the future of 3D printing.

3DN: Can you tell us a little bit about your first approach to 3D printing? How exactly did you come up with the idea for Voodoo Manufacturing?

In the beginning we had two unique insights, which led to the founding of Voodoo Manufacturing. The first had to do with desktop 3D printers, which you could call a low-end commodity that are capable of producing end-use parts and products, as long as the application was used correctly. The second insight we had was that with the proper software and technology infrastructure, it would be possible to build a high-volume factory that is full of these commodity machines that could compete, in terms of costs, against injection molding for low-volume rates.

3DN: What kind of services can a company expect from a 3D printer micro-factory?

At Voodoo Manufacturing, there are 4 main services that we offer: Direct Print, Volume Print, 3D Design, and our Print API. With Direct Print, anyone from an engineer to a student can upload a 3D printable CAD file directly to our site and get an instant quote for the 3D printed part. Using this service, you can currently order up to 100 units. The Volume Print service is reserved for orders that are more than 100 units or for projects that require a higher degree of involvement from our team. The applications for these projects can run from promotional giveaways to end-use hardware components. Our 3D design service is pretty self-explanatory. Those that are in need of 3D design help can work with our team of seasoned 3D modelers and CAD professionals that will turn their concept into a ready-to-print design. Lastly, with Print API, you are able to plug into our internal system and automatically route your orders from a website or application directly to our factory. From there, we will manufacture, package and ship either back to you or to your customer.