A new family of 3D printing filaments has been launched and dedicated to the U.S. Federal Government by Skilcraft, the trade name of the National Industries for the Blind (NIB).
Skilcraft is a 75-year-old organisation, whose products have been developed largely by Americans who are visually impaired. Having a long partnership with the U.S. government, the company last month made the soft launch of its first 3D printing products at the Wright-Patterson Air Force Base Technology Expo.
It marked the beginnings of Skilcraft 3D, a new business model designed to support the growing use of additive manufacturing throughout the many government branches looking to harness the technologies. The division will deliver 3D printing filaments, supplies and accessories, but rather than manufacture them itself, identifies and selects what it deems the best manufacturer of each type of filament.
The first materials to be offered through this process are PLA Pro, ABS Pro and Nylon Pro, while Skilcraft 3D’s product range also includes a professional-grade water soluble material. Key packaging components, assembly labour, and order fulfilment services are provided by a NIB affiliate, meaning all products offered by Skilcraft 3D are AbilityOne-compliant. Although the company has immediately become a supplier to the U.S. Federal Government, Skilcraft 3D is open to dealing with non-government entities.
And more products are on their way. Skilcraft plans a full launch at the end of September, where several product reveals are to be announced and a product roadmap for the next quarter will be unveiled. One of those products looks likely to be an FDA-compliant polyamide polyolefin and cellulose filament for bioprinting, which like the rest, is to be brought to market with the assistance of an industry expert.
“Some filament manufacturers are really good at one type of material but not others,” said David Beschen, Skilcraft 3D Principal, of the organisation’s approach. “By employing this ‘publisher’ model with filament, our customers can be assured that they will always get the superior option – regardless of which type of material they use. Besides, using inferior filaments has been shown to be much costlier in the long run and far outweigh any savings on purchase price.”
Also introduced at the Wright-Patterson Air Force Base Expo was the Evaluator program, which will lean on the experiences of government makers and technicians who use 3D printing to test and gain feedback on all of its products.
