Adam Zimmer moved to Denver to be a patent examiner, which has served him well as founder of a 3D printing company that helps people turn ideas and sketches into real products.
Zimmer left his job as a patent examiner to work for a startup and began purchasing 3D printers to do product design. When that startup failed he founded Denver 3D Print Co. (D3PC).
D3PC uses a variety of techniques to produce functional prototypes for its customers. It also uses multidisciplinary engineering principles to quantify product effectiveness; which is critical to understanding how a new product compares to the competition.
“If you have an idea for a product, we can take it through the process,” Zimmer said. “We work on patents; we design for manufacturing, and design for cost. We can help with product testing and intellectual property.”
Variety in a growing market
The global 3D printing market was valued at $16.75 billion in 2022 and is projected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 23.3% from 2023 to 2030, according to Grand View Research. Demand for prototyping applications for various industry verticals–including healthcare, automotive, aerospace and defense, are driving growth in the market.
D3PC scans and prints everything from the knobs for an old stove that’s no longer made to baby feet for parents to keep as a memory. One client brought an original Remington sculpture to have six copies made for family members.
“Try to stump us,” Zimmer said. “We’ll work on anything unless it’s weapons. We do not do anything that will hurt someone.”
Zimmer was a one-man-show who hired contract workers when he needed them. One of those workers was Kian Roybal, who worked out so well that Zimmer brought him on as his business partner.
Since it’s just the two of them, D3PC is able to keep costs low for its customers.
“We can do for a few thousand dollars what others do for 10s of thousands,” Zimmer said. “Our overhead is low, and our integrity is high.”
