Our history

Find out about the history and professional trajectory of INTECH3D, from its origins to the present day.

The origins

Our story begins in 2015, when three people with a common vision came together to give life to INTECH3D: Joan Folguera, John Amin and Francesc Adell.

 

John and Joan met in a program for the development of innovative technology-based projects aimed at young entrepreneurs. While John was working on hardware made with 3D printing, Joan was developing an app to support small businesses in Lleida. After several conversations, they came up with the idea of combining their talents and adding Francesc Adell, who, driven by his maker spirit, set up the “Caragolet de l'Oest” team in his warehouse.

 

With a collaborative approach and pooling their knowledge, the three decided to join forces to start the INTECH3D project. In this project, Francesc was in charge of business acquisition, John assumed the maintenance of the installed equipment, and Joan led the management of resources.

The idea

Analyzing the 3D printing environment, they noticed a significant proliferation of extrusion equipment manufacturers. Although they also had the capabilities to assemble equipment, they wanted to take a step further and investigate the real applications of the technology.

 

Soon, they realized that the issue to address was not the lack of hardware supply, but the insufficient demand due to the lack of knowledge on how to use the technology. The industrial sector required the expertise to integrate and use 3D equipment; in other words, they needed a strategic partner rather than a distributor.

 

From this first turning point, the realization that the knowledge of application was more important than the equipment manufacturer, INTECH3D - Your 3D Partner, was born.

First steps

To understand how they could help businesses, they started by asking themselves what the business and technological benefits of additive manufacturing were.

 

In their search for answers, they began a first phase of testing focused on manufacturing components for third parties. As they progressed, they realized that most of the projects they received were prototypes, followed by spare parts, final components, and simple tools for the workshop.

 

After many years of accumulated experience, they perfected their knowledge on when and how to use 3D technology, such as the most suitable materials for each application. This led to a notable growth in the demand for component manufacturing for third parties, as the team increasingly understood the sectors and applications where 3D printing truly made a difference, to improve the company's competitiveness.

Education and training

One of the biggest obstacles for companies that integrate 3D printing equipment was the lack of knowledge on how to integrate and use the 3D printers. The general lack of understanding of this technology meant that its integration was perceived as a risky investment, despite its potential to deliver great results.

 

To address this challenge, they began focusing on raising awareness and sharing knowledge with businesses, helping them discover how to leverage the benefits of 3D printing and minimize the risks associated with its adoption.

 

To go a step further, they thought that a proactive solution to address the problem before it even started would be to teach students. They believed that by training future professionals, they would be preparing them to join companies where technology plays a key role.

 

As part of this commitment, they began collaborating with educational institutions, such as serving as associate professors at the University of Lleida, promoting the teaching of 3D printing equipment operation to new generations.

Innovation

As they continued to track orders and analyze their clients' needs in detail, it became clear that focusing just on manufacturing and hardware was not enough to meet the market's demand.

 

There was a critical gap that equipment manufacturers could not fill: the need for a software ecosystem to manage 3D printing projects. This software would need to facilitate and optimize the process, enabling any type of user to fully use and take advantage of the technology.

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That's when they decided to co-create the PRINT&GO project, a software solution that allows for planning, monitoring, and controlling the entire 3D printing workflow, remotely and in real-time. This significantly improves efficiency and productivity in manufacturing processes.

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Do you need more information about any of our solutions or would you like us to advise you on how to integrate 4.0 technology in your company?