Our friends at Gateway Group have decided to move into the world of 3D printing by producing a new line of 3D printer filaments.
Like all 3D printing companies, Gateway have a story of how they came into the 3D market. Originally a bookbinding company, their operations eventually led into manufacturing bookbinding materials. One common method of bookbinding is using plastic coils, and the company eventually acquired quite a bit of equipment for making custom plastic coils for their bookbinding needs.
However, Gateway Group wants to leverage their equipment and plastic manufacturing expertise in new areas, and thus discovered the world of 3D printing. They’ve created a new business unit called Gateway 3D Print, which plans to manufacture an extensive line of 3D printing filaments. It should be straightforward for them because they already operate a large amount of plastic manufacturing equipment for their full service custom profile extrusion business.
The company has set up a significant production line for 3D printer filaments. It’s quite impressive to see, as we were given an exclusive tour of their factory. In a future post, we’ll take you through their production process to show how filament is actually made – but without revealing Gateway’s secrets, of course.
Meanwhile, they have not yet launched their product, but plan to do so this spring. They’ll first launch a line of ABS filaments, followed by PLA material later. We’ve had a sneak peek at the product and found it’s incredibly accurate and also comes in over a dozen very cool colors.
In the next few weeks they’d like to fine tune the product before launch with the help of beta testers from the public (that’s you!)
They’re seeking 3D printer operators willing to check out a 250g spool provided at no cost to the testers. Here’s the details:
They want 2-3 testers for each of the following machines:
- Ultimaker (Original and 2)
- Prusa i3
- Printrbot Simple and/or Metal
- Makerbot Replicator 2X
- Lulzbot TAZ 4 or 5
- SeeMeCNC Rostock Max V2
- Afinia H480
- Solidoodle Press and/or Workbench
- Robo3D R1
- Flash forge Dreamer and/or Creator
- Dremel 3D Idea Builder
- Leapfrog Creatr
Each tester will receive a 250g spool of filament (1.75mm or 2.85mm) and Gateway would choose the color so that they test a good mix of colors. However, testers can request a preferred color.
Testers can be located anywhere in North America.
Gateway will include a questionnaire with the filament to capture testing results, and they’ll want to know everything from performance, behavior, observations, settings, etc.
If you’re interested in testing this new line of ABS filament, please contact Rene here.
You’ll need to provide the basics:
- Name/Full Address
- Type of Machine and size of filament needed (1.75mm or 2.85mm)
- Age and Occupation
- Hobbyist or Professional Maker
- Months/Years of experience and how often you 3D print
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