MachinaCorp is a 3D printer manufacturer based in Canada. They have come a long way since they launched their Mk1 printer back in 2013. The company has always focussed on making printers with unmatching precision, speed, and reliability.
But this year they wanted to take it to the next level. For their new Mk3 printer line, they wanted to add touchscreen and cloud capabilities.
As Kyle Hermenean, Ceo & Co-Founder of Machina Corp puts it:
“We wanted to offer a complete hardware solution with embedded software with a high-end user interface, cloud capabilities. Our users are educated, sophisticated and expect a high quality/complete user experience when purchasing our products. We offer high-performance 3D printing hardware and a touchscreen, wifi enabled, cloud-enabled app was what we needed.”
What do printer manufacturers do when they need better software for their printers? Due to the lack of solutions, many of them try to develop their own software, but it usually turns to be a bad idea. MachinaCorp also faced some challenges when designing the software for their next generation of 3D printers:
“We had developed our own system in-house, but after a while, we recognized we are a hardware company and we needed to find a company focused on equally high quality, a complete software solution that would pair our hardware properly and add value. After about a year of in-house development, we had identified the need to find a partner who could compliment us.”
Finding the right software partner
As the industry evolves, customers are demanding more from 3D printers. Companies are realizing that selling just hardware is not enough to stay competitive. Making software for 3D printers is not easy. There are benefits to being a jack of all trades, but, when it comes to technology, many 3D printer manufacturers have already realized that it’s best to stick to one’s expertise and find a good software partner to work with:
“We found in AstroPrint a partner with genuine desire to work with manufacturers in bringing to the market a superior product; flexibility and adaptability to user needs and requirements, consistent and unrelenting product improvement, nor resting on last year’s laurels and victories.”
“Rolling out high-level manufacturer software management tools showed a clear signal that Astroprint was walking the walk; this gave us confidence that there’s a proper future and we can align our products more closely with embedded Astroprint solutions.”
The Results
MachinaCorp has clearly launched its best 3D printer yet. High-temperature printers that are extremely reliable, precise and smart. An offering difficult to match.
“Now it feels like we have a grown-up proper business partner who brings genuine value to the offering. Our 3D Printers are a superior offering and value in the market thanks to our integrated solutions. Now we are confident to advertise and tell customers that our high-performance machines have Astroprint embedded software in our products. It’s something to point out as proper good value.”
Learn more about how Astroprint can help you make smart 3D printers.
