The TecnoCampus ThinkIn 3D additive manufacturing accelerator has accompanied fifteen companies in the adoption of technology since it was inaugurated last March
The Mataró technology park project, supported by the INCYDE Foundation through FEDER funds from the European Union, and co-financed by the Mataró City Council, is the first accelerator focused on 3D technology to be launched in the Maresme region , according to data from the Agency for Business Competitiveness (ACCIÓ) of the Generalitat de Catalunya.
“ThinkIn 3D Mataró was born with the desire to bring a technology that is perceived as expensive and complicated to small and medium-sized companies that do not have the capital or adequate personnel to deal with its acquisition or use but that, with adequate support for their adoption, it can be very useful for them to innovate and improve their competitiveness”, explains Carmina Sánchez, head of public-private collaboration at TecnoCampus.
And he adds: “The accelerator wants to help small and medium-sized companies in the province of Maresme and throughout Catalonia to be more innovative by transferring key industry 4.0 technology.”
During the three months that the TecnoCampus accelerator has been running, it has helped companies from various sectors, but mainly from industry and health. “Of the total number of companies that collaborate or are being accelerated by us, 70% are linked to industry, 20% to health and 10% are located in other areas,” explains Carmina Sánchez.
From ThinkIn 3D they hope that by the end of 2023 they will have accompanied 50 micro-enterprises and SMEs in the adoption of additive manufacturing technology through innovative projects and experimentation.
The TecnoCampus accelerator has a model known as T-Shape because through its equipment it can respond to the needs of the industry in general, but at the same time it is specialized in the health sector.
“The project is also part of the initiative of the City Council project, “Mataró, Cuidadora Ciudad”. Therefore, it has a part linked to health and care projects that is channeled through 3D printing that allows the use of biocompatible materials”, points out the head of public-private collaboration at TecnoCampus.
ThinkIn 3D Mataró is also designed so that SMEs in any sector can incorporate additive manufacturing into their production process to be more competitive and innovative.
“The TecnoCampus accelerator is a help for small and medium-sized companies that is not normally found. If we had wanted to develop our product, we would have had to look for a partner or financing, otherwise it would have been very difficult for us to get it”, says Xavier Morón, CEO of Streaming on Set and one of the companies that is part of the High Performance program of ThinkIn 3D.
The ThinkIn 3D acceleration service is designed to support and solve the challenges that companies may have related to additive manufacturing.
“The programs offered by the accelerator have a balance between training for transfer and customizing a roadmap appropriate to the challenge of each SME. We help define the technological challenge of the companies that contact us and from there we carry out a specific plan”, affirms Carmina Sánchez.
The programs that ThinkIn 3D offers are: High Performance, Accelerator in Additive Manufacturing and Technological Services for initiation to 3D printing.
“The three programs share a common characteristic and that is the help to meet challenges that can be solved with the use of additive manufacturing. Regarding the High Performance Program, in addition to addressing technological issues, it also accompanies aspects related to the business, strategy and operation. The Technological Accelerator focuses on helping with issues related to efficiency and operability”, says the head of public-private collaboration at TecnoCampus.
The selection process to access the programs is based on three criteria: the innovation potential of the project, the creation of jobs and the scalability and internationalization of the proposal.
The accelerator also has support in internationalization and access to financing for companies in the 3D printing ecosystem.
The El Masnou company, Streaming on Set, is one of the companies that is advised by the TecnoCampus accelerator, ThinkIn 3D. Its sector is live communication and it is dedicated to the rental of wireless equipment for the transmission of events online.
The project presented to access the High Technological Performance Program is the creation of a casing that allows the incorporation of cooling for a camera that transmits images by streaming.
“The acceleration service of the Mataró technology park is helping us with aspects of our project that we did not know how to solve, among them, the manufacture of the casing and the incorporation of various components (fans, power supply, battery and lens)”, he points out. Xavier Moron.
The creation of this device stems from the need that exists in live shows, especially now that the audiovisual has taken center stage, to show points of view that could not be shown before.
“We already had a prototype that worked and we had carried it out through trial and error, but we had some needs that had to be improved, including cooling, power supply, and lens improvements,” says Xavier Morón, CEO of Streaming on Set. .
To which he adds: “Now we have two versions of the same product, with and without batteries, both with very robust finishes, whose manufacturing process would have been much slower.”
“ThinkIn 3D is an opportunity to experiment with additive manufacturing with top-level equipment and with an experienced team that accompanies and advises companies in a personalized way to their needs and without great risks,” concludes Carmina Sánchez, head of the public-private collaboration of TecnoCampus.
