Creative 3D Technologies, a Texas-based company, is working to address some of the key challenges in industrial 3D printing by developing systems that combine multiple manufacturing capabilities into a single platform. While currently positioned in the 3D printing market, the company is working toward the broader goal of all-in-one manufacturing. EVO is designed as an affordable, multi-functional manufacturing platform that aims to bridge the gaps between traditionally separate industrial markets. In an interview with 3Druck.com, founder and CEO Ethan Baehrend discusses the challenges in the 3D printing industry, the development of versatile manufacturing solutions, and the future of additive manufacturing.
Most manufacturing machines are built around a single tool—extruding, projecting, milling, pick-and-place, etc.—with the machine designed to meet minimum specifications for that tool. Creative 3D Technologies takes a different approach, aiming for Single-Cell Manufacturing. Instead of limiting production to one specialized function, EVO is built as a system that exceeds the specifications of multiple specialty machines, offering speed, rigidity, material capability, and precision across different manufacturing processes. Rather than switching between machines in a production line, EVO transitions between tools, enabling a factory-in-a-box concept that completes fully finished products on-site and on demand.
A standout feature is EVO’s Toolhead system, allowing rapid switching between printing and production methods. It supports standard resolutions, SLA-level detail, and high-speed layers. Planned upgrades include Pellet and Paste Extrusion, Pick and Place, Milling, and Circuitry Tracing, further enhancing versatility.
Built on a CoreXY framework with independent dual extrusion (IDEX), EVO enables mirror printing, batch production, and mixed-media applications. Its full-metal enclosure with a high-power heater ensures stable processing conditions. The system supports plastics, metals like titanium and aluminum, and ceramics, expanding industrial applications.
By integrating multiple processes, Creative 3D Technologies offers an efficient, cost-effective alternative to traditional setups. EVO’s flexible design paves the way for a more integrated and streamlined manufacturing future.
Interview with Ethan Baehrend
In his interview with 3Druck.com, founder and CEO Ethan Baehrend discusses the challenges and fragmentation in the 3D printing industry and how Creative 3D Technologies aims to address them with a versatile, all-in-one manufacturing platform. He also talks about recent advancements in additive manufacturing, the impact of global crises on the industry, and his vision for the future of 3D printing in industrial production.
How do your printers address the challenges related to other printers on the market?
Right now, we see the industrial 3D printing market as very fragmented. Our view is that machines are specialized around a specific function, and varying OEMs provide said specific systems at specific price points for customers to create a niche. That is why we believe we see the divide of, for example, large-format printers only being able to produce larger, less precise parts, while in contrast, detail printers can’t do larger sizes. Similarly, markets like high-temp, high-speed, batch production, metal, and other submarkets see little intersection. Creative 3D’s goal is for our printers to overcome that market fragmentation and provide an entire suite of capabilities within a single platform—one machine with sufficient rigidity, torque, speed, precision, and temperature capacity to perform the sometimes polar opposite jobs of an entire suite of 10+ industrial printers in one affordable and easy-to-use system.
Additive manufacturing has advanced significantly in recent years. Which innovations or technological breakthroughs do you consider particularly transformative?
We believe the system itself is our most significant breakthrough. To provide some context, many components that go into 3D printers, such as ball screws and linear guides, have been standardized across other robotics and production systems. When taken off the shelf and put into a printer, this hardware doesn’t provide the entire advertised benefit because 3D printers distribute weight, vibrations, heat, etc., differently. As a result, when designing such a powerful platform, we spent substantial time challenging how 3D printers are designed. For example, we went as far as creating the first ball screws ever designed specifically for 3D printing functions. We took this same approach to many major functional points in printers, developed a lot of our own technological innovations, and when put together, we had a system that could excel beyond the current limiting factors in the industry. We had a system providing leading size, precision, speed, and other functions typically not found on a single platform. Despite being a multitool, we had a system that could excel in each function it encompasses, exceeding industry standards and, in multiple cases, becoming the best option available.
Both the COVID-19 pandemic and the recent inflation have presented major challenges to the industry. How do you think these crises have affected the additive manufacturing industry?
The pandemic, recession, and supply chain crisis have adversely affected well over 90% of businesses. However, I think there’s a silver lining to these events when it comes to AM. Despite these major disruptions, the 3D printing market still experienced strong growth, and if anything, these events highlighted its necessity. For example, during the pandemic, when hospitals needed face shields and pump components, Creative 3D assisted in the effort at a critical juncture where traditional supply chains couldn’t keep up. I think events like these can be viewed in a positive light, as they highlighted the necessity of continuing to push AM technology forward as a method of assisting industries and ensuring businesses don’t suffer similar crashes during future global events.
Looking ahead, what impact do you foresee additive manufacturing having on various industries, and possibly on society as a whole?
The hope and goal I set for my company is that 3D printing achieves the dream that the media had for it when the patents first dropped. I believe the public was sold on the vision of 3D printing being akin to the Star Trek Replicator: material goes in, and a final end-use product comes out. Instead, the technology stagnated and remained primarily a method of prototyping or creating complex topology parts. If the technology continues to push in the right direction, AM could become an alternative method for standard production. It could enable small-to-medium volume, cost-effective, qualified, end-use part fabrication independent of the traditional supply chain. This would empower communities that struggle to connect to traditional supply chains, prevent disasters through on-demand production, and drive innovation by putting that power directly into the hands of businesses.
Here you can find further information on Creative 3D Technologies.
Subscribe to our Newsletter
3DPresso is a weekly newsletter that links to the most exciting global stories from the 3D printing and additive manufacturing industry.
