With investment of R$ 1 million, Maker Market is launched to reindustrialize the Brazilian 3D printing market

The serial entrepreneur Eder Medeirosknown in the market for having founded the Best Shipping, startup acquired by Locaweb by R$ 83 million in 2020, has just allocated R$ 1 million of own investment to launch the Maker Market, a platform that aims to strengthen domestic production, reduce dependence on imports and encourage the Brazilian industry through decentralized 3D printing technology.

The project proposes a new digital manufacturing infrastructure, connected, on demand and accessible to any region of Brazil. The proposal of the Maker Market is to connect three profiles: designers of 3D models, owners of 3D printers (makers) and e-commerce retailers.

“Our platform was born with the perception that there are many 3D printers stopped, with an idle production capacity and that could be useful for someone, producing items focused on e-commerce. Increasing the use of these equipment means avoiding that there is so much import in our market. In addition, we propose to reduce the price charged for the items manufactured, making the final value proportional to the amount of time it takes and the material spent for its production”, comments Eder Medeiros, CEO and founder of Maker Market.

Based in Pelotas Technology Park (PPT), Maker Market was born with the purpose of contributing to the reindustrialization of the country, becoming the infrastructure of production on demand for the next generation of makers, designers and shopkeepers.

How it works in practice

Maker Market allows any online store to sell physical products without needing inventory, using a local and automated production network. When a sale occurs, the system triggers the nearest maker to print and deliver the product on demand.

The idea behind the collaboration network is that the shopkeeper takes photos of the printed products, within a catalog of about 10 thousand items, their descriptions and put in your virtual store. “If the seller has a decoration business, for example, will choose decoration items from our catalog, insert in your e-commerce and choose the price with the margin he wants. And as each sale is made, he can open a print request within our platform. Thus, this print request will be directed to the makers most suitable for the buyer”, explains Medeiros.

“The first maker that accepts this order will print the respective product, put it in a package, paste a shipping label from our Best Shipping partners and post to deliver to the final buyer”, adds the CEO of Maker Market.

The company will also act on sustainability fronts, developing processes for reuse of waste generated in the 3D printing chain itself (as supports and production failures DO promoting efficiency and alignment with circular economy principles.

In addition to the platform, the startup will build a research and development plant with 500 m², where more than 50 employees - being at least 30 researchers - WILL lead projects in materials, hardware and advanced 3D printing processes. One of the focuses is the development of high-fidelity color resins, currently non-existent in Brazil, with the potential to replace imported inputs and enable local production with industrial finishing.

Performance in agribusiness and industrial sectors

Another strategic axis of the company will be the development of affordable metal printing technologies, aimed at the production of technical parts on demand. The proposal includes applications in agribusiness (as spare parts for tractors and machines 'OD, but also serves industrial sectors that face long deadlines, component obsolescence or need for customization.

With this technology, it will be possible to manufacture custom-made items that today depend on import or large minimum volumes. The plant will be the first of its kind in Brazil dedicated to metal additive manufacturing aimed at the end customer (B2C).

“We want to connect makers spread across the country, people with 3D printer, and in the future, the idea is that we have at least one user in each city of the country can print. All connected on our site that will also count on a network of designers who will do the 3D modeling of products, as well as a network of retailers. This is how the future will be printed”, concludes Medeiros.

The startup already has institutional support from UFPEL, through the incubator Connect, the Superintendence of Innovation and Interinstitutional Development DO INOVA, Tecnosul Scientific and Technological Park, and other agents of the local innovation ecosystem.It also maintains dialogue with industrial and financial entities to enable its plant and national expansion, as well as seeking links with public initiatives to accelerate its technological development and expand its impact.