There are not many manufacturing entrepreneurs who have gone from producing 3D printed models for his friends at university to being a global disruptor in the rapidly emerging additive manufacturing space.
However, Mitchell Barnes doesn’t do things by half, it’s just not in his energetic nature. The 28-year-old graduate car designer has made it his fledgling career to spot an early opportunity to do things differently and he has employed this very approach in the development of RYSE 3D and the recent roll-out of LANDR 500, a new large FDM 3D printer that is designed, developed and built in the UK.
Some seven years on from aiming to save his mates money on expensive clay models and the Shipston-on-Stour MD is now at the helm of a business that is supplying production components to 23 Hypercar projects. This ranges from full HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning) systems to brake ducts and wing mirror vision systems for next generation vehicles.
His mission is for RYSE 3D to lead the world in ‘production 3D printing’ and the development of this technology as one that is suitable for low to medium volume production in automotive, aerospace, medical and renewables.
This isn’t empty marketing rhetoric. Over £1.5m has been invested into creating a state-of-the-art facility in Warwickshire, with a plan in place to double capacity using LANDR 500 printers that are now selling globally to 3D printing houses across the world.
Mitchell Barnes is one of the 3D printing world’s rising stars. Massive growth of his production part business RYSE 3D has led to a recent ‘eureka’ moment and the launch of LANDR 500.
The large format FDM printer has been designed, developed and built in the UK, and is unlocking engineering grade technology and materials for SMEs, disruptors and entrepreneurs.
He’ll talk us through the innovation, the challenges and the new cost-effective opportunities this tech will bring to companies building large and more complex components.