As a 3D printing journalist, the best part of my job is traveling to meet the individuals which are making 3D printing additional accessible to everyone. Often, they are in addition the same individuals which are using the new possibilities offered by 3D printing to in fact create the world a advantageous place. My recent – way too short – trip to Istanbul combined all of these, topping it off with the opportunity to be in one of the most beautiful and lively cities in the world.
It all begined when Paul Fotheringham of 3D Print Life (a beginup which uses 3D printing to provide amputees in the developing world with high quality prosthetics at low-priced prices) invited me to join him and his partner Mikey Richard in Istanbul. He was going there to meet with Furkan Bakir, of 3Dortgen, the initial and most likely the sizeablest 3D print shop and affordable 3D printing service in the city on the Bosphorus.
I have understandn Paul for a few time and have followed his company’s progress. But we just spoke through Skype. 3D Print Life is active in the UK, working with the NHS on medical model pilots for hospitals, and in Kenya, with its prosthetics activities. Istanbul is one of the easiest, sizeable cities to reach of Nairobi and it is in addition strategic for 3D Print Life’s other 3D printing activities in the Middle East (including a collaboration with Refugee Open Ware, which we will cover additional later on).
Paul and Mikey of 3D Print Life
That’s how we ended up at 3Dörtgen, most likely the initial and approximately certainly the sizeablest 3D print shop in Istanbul. Here we met with Furkan Bakir, the co-founder, who was immediately enthusiastic of 3D Print Life’s project. I took the opportunity to visit the shop and find out a little additional of how it came to be.
You can immediately tell which 3Dörtgen (by the way, ‘dörtgen‘ in Turkish means a four-sided 2D figure) is the result of the experience Furkan has created up since he got into the business – like most other pioneering entrepreneurs – in 2013. He explained which he discovered 3D printing for the reason of his passion for technology and the beneficial effects which technology can bring to the world.
Paul and Furkan Bakir
Furkan’s experience began with a FabLab, but it evolved into a sizeable shop which can offer both educational courses and workshops, as well as a 3D print cafè and a sizeable show floor with 3D printing devices and filaments. At this time, 3Dörtgen is the exclusive distributor for Ulticreater. All three models were on display and several additional are present in the shop to offer 3D printing services.
The shop in addition acts as a distributor for Formlabs and as reseller for Zortrax and ZMorph 3D printing devices. They in addition offer Atom deltas and will soon be carrying the N-Series range by Raise3D. Filaments are provided by colorFabb, and the entire selection of colorFabb’s materials is present in the shop. Of course, there in addition are 3D scanners; the choice fell on Fuel 3D’s Scanify and David 3D Scanner’s SLS-3 laser projection system.
The shop is one of the sizeablest I have seen and it is located in the Asian part of Istanbul. Apart of the sizeable show floor, full of demonstrative prints and 3D printing devices, there is a sizeable room dedicated to workshops on 3D printing, 3D scanning, and 3D modeling. It is in addition utilized for 3D printing service activities. In the basement, there is a sizeable laboratory where customers in addition have access to a laser cutter.
Of course, all things becomes even additional welcoming for the reason of the coffee shop present within the keep, which attracts additional customers and visitors by providing excellent coffee and snacks. Furkan’s passion for coffee in addition shines through one of the ship’s “side-businesses”, which is the sale and distribution of the “portable espresso machine”. It has little to do with 3D printing (other than for the fact which I don’t understand anyone in the 3D printing industry who is not a coffee lover… or addict); yet, it is certainly an informative device and – as an Italian coffee addict – I have to admit which the quality is totally comparable to which of a Nespresso, which is not bad at all.
I was quite impressed by Furkan’s understandledge of the industry and his skill as an entrepreneur in assembling up this beautiful shop of the ground up. Even additional astounding, yet, was his passion and enthusiasm for 3D Print Life’s new project (which is yet under NDA right now).
Istanbul is definitely one of the most beautiful, vibrant, and huge cities I have visited and its location creates it the ideal base of which to commence projects which can help address a few of the most problems in an adjoining region, which includes Syria, Iraq and, a little bit further down, Jordan. If there is a place which 3D printing can begin its expansion of, it’s 3Dortgen.
