Spin-off: Trinckle 3D (since 2012)
(Mentor)
Trinckle 3D
The project Trinckle aims to enable private customers to benefit from the advantages of modern 3D printing technology. Within an online marketplace, people will be able to share and personalize 3D models and products that then can be ordered from the Trinckle printout service.
In order to improve the access to high quality 3D models, the Trinckle team is developing a novel software system, that enables customers to generate individual 3D models for sharing or printing without the need of any prior knowledge of CAD software.
The Trinckle 3D project is supported with the EXIST-grant and started in September 2012.
Until today, 3D printing is mainly used in science and industry for the fast building of demonstration prototypes. One major advantage of the technique is its potential to build single individual parts economically. Trinckle will enable private customers to benefit from this advantage by offering an online marketplace, where models and products of different 3D data formats can be vastly personalized and 3D printouts can be ordered directly from within the browser. By this, customers will turn from consumers to active participants in the designing process, what enables them to obtain the special products they really want.
The marketplace will start its operation with a preliminary service in winter 2012/2013. The full service, including a novel software system which allows product designers and customers to create highly individual products, will be available in summer 2013.
The founding team consists of Dr. Gunnar Schulze, responsible for software development and IT, Florian Reichle, responsible for marketing and management, and Dr. Marlene Vogel, responsible for production and logistics. Prof. Dr. Konrad Polthier is head of the research group “Mathematical Geometry Processing” at the Freie Universität Berlin and will support the team as a mentor.