In an era where offices are located in crowded city centers, New Lab proposed the concept of bringing all collaborative companies under one roof. This 84,000-square-foot space, located in the historic Brooklyn Navy Yard, houses over 100 member companies, including more than 500 designers, engineers, entrepreneurs, managers, and product specialists.
Under a high arched roof and a 40-ton crane, New Lab echoes its predecessor, a factory once used to build warships. Every day, its members transform how companies think about prototyping and manufacturing processes. Robotics, IoT, blockchain, urban planning, and life sciences… new technologies fill every office, loft, and studio; and it boasts dedicated customer visit spaces for round-the-clock module manufacturing, testing, and rapid prototype design.
3D printing technology, as a unique hardware member, is responsible for providing flexible manufacturing solutions and bridging the digital divide, from design concepts to physical models. Therefore, 3D printers have become central to rapid prototyping within the company, facilitating communication, on-site testing, and creativity at every step.
3D Printing Solutions
"When Ultimaker joined New Lab, we offered member companies free 24/7 access to the latest professional desktop 3D printers and hundreds of spools of filament for a year and a half," says Matt, Ultimaker's North America Community Director. New Lab aims to create a high-speed, reliable collaborative space to meet members' immediate project requirements.
\With improved overall manufacturing capabilities and quality, New Lab eliminated high-cost, high-maintenance industrial FFF options, opting for higher utilization and lower costs. "For members interested in 3D printing and planning to integrate it into their workflow, the barrier to entry is either that they think 3D printing can do anything, or that it can't do what they need," says Alexander, New Lab's Director of Additive Manufacturing.
The best way to help people truly understand the practical applications of 3D printing is to let them try printing things; some industrial-only models cannot accommodate this.
Today, New Lab's 3D printing room has 12 Ultimaker 3D printers available for members across the entire campus. With these printers available day or night, the possibilities for innovation are limitless.
From Industrial to Desktop
Desktop replacing industrial 3D printers is an emerging industry trend, with manufacturers, design firms, engineering companies, and educators using the same budget to replace expensive machines. As Marcel Bausha, CEO of 10xBETA, points out, industrial machines may miss opportunities in critical rapid prototyping.
"With our Ultimaker, we can finally experiment with 3D printers. The initial goal of rapid prototyping is to get results within a day, rather than manufacturing expensive parts at every stage. When I use SLS or industrial FFF for printing, I feel that the production cost of overly precious parts is very high, but I might only need to look at them for five minutes before discarding and updating them. We would rather buy three more Ultimakers than one entry-level industrial machine costing nine thousand dollars." Marcel believes that professional desktop 3D printers can meet the team's actual prototyping needs.
Once accustomed to 3D printing, Tony Kaufmann, Product Development Engineer at Voltaic Systems, says the Ultimaker easily became a powerful part of his production tools. "It definitely speeds things up, reducing the time Voltaic spends navigating between factories, and more importantly, it improves product quality," Tony says.
Eric Furman, who runs his own studio, states that 3D printing has changed his perspective as a designer on producing things, as he believes that 3D printers like Ultimaker could improve other practical and functional tools. "Most of my prints are used in conjunction with other tools. When I combine interactive and responsive technologies with natural materials like wood, it's important that everything works together and has a purpose. 3D printing can bridge and bond different materials," Furman says.
Eric also believes, "Perhaps 3D printing would improve it?" Now, he tends to prioritize 3D printing in the construction process. "Now I've expanded to using actual 3D printed parts in final works as material itself, not just as an auxiliary," he says.
Similarly, Aya also developed a crucial idea about 3D printing, drawing inspiration from new tools as an agent for companies like SILO. He found how useful it was to create simulated models using 3D printing by sanding and finishing prints, which he could then hand directly to industrial designers for immediate feedback.
Prototype Improvement Accelerator
Among the tools provided by New Lab, Aya found desktop 3D printers to be the most valuable and accessible. "Ultimaker is a general prototyping tool. I have done extensive research on desktop 3D printers, and as far as I know, Ultimaker is the best in the FFF category. Just using them allows for the creation of inspiration and putting it in front of you, whether it's an hour or a day, which shows how helpful it is."
Looking ahead, rapid prototyping encourages members to consider the impact of these versatile technologies—whether through investing in personal equipment or expanding their horizons with new tools. Compared to the cost barrier of expensive machines, fully functional 3D printers can already meet their needs.
Bridging the time-consuming and expensive process between ideation and manufacturing, these innovators have found Ultimaker to be flexible in improving their products. Their creativity and cross-company collaboration demonstrate the success of New Lab's new work environment. Spaces like New Lab open doors for exchange among many businesses and faster production processes, providing opportunities for hardware companies capable of rapid development.
Original source: https://ultimaker.com/en/stories/52698-new-lab-innovators-print-their-way-to-faster-iterations-and-design-freedom