Mass customization, consumer 3D printing, on-demand, local, digital manufacturing. These are no longer just far away goals of 3D printing: for some people, they are already a reality. According to 3dpbm’s newest Polymer AM market report, there were 4.17 million units of entry-level desktop 3D printers installed globally. If we factor in prosumer-level 3D printers – such as those from Ultimaker and Prusa – the total grows to about 4.75. million units. There are those, an increasingly large number of people, that use farms of these 3D printers to build new businesses. That’s certainly the case of Tesla enthusiast Matthew Budraitis and his SnapPlate 3D printed accessories sold on the EveryAmp website.
The SnapPlate holder.
The SnapPlate removable front license plate mounts are made to install and completely remove in seconds. The clean, minimal design blends perfectly with the front end when it’s installed and leaves no unsightly hardware behind when it’s removed. Users can choose from pre-configured assemblies with USA, Canada and Mexico plate mounts or configure a custom SnapPlate for other countries.
It all started when in mid-2019, Matthew got a “fix-it” ticket for not having a front license plate on his Model 3. Shortly after he got a new 3D printer at Maker Faire Bay Area and began development of the first prototype SnapPlate to get that ticket signed off. By late August, many versions later, he and his partner Kevin Braico decided it was good enough to show the world and launched their store.
Demand for the snap-on license plate holders has grown to the point that EveryAmp is now supplied through a large farm of over 90 Prusa Research 3D printers, working with USA-sourced recycled plastics from IC3D Printers. Growing from just a couple of 3D printer in 2019, this makes the new facility in Atascadero, California one of the densest 3D printer farms in the US. The machines are running daily to produce numerous products and variants that were designed in-house, such as the SnapPlate. More accessories are in the works, including support for other EVs such as Rivian and VW’s electric range.
Manufacturing on Demand
In 2019 and 2020 they learned how to operate a growing business in the midst of the pandemic, building experience in business, finance, customer service, sourcing, marketing, manufacturing, and fulfillment. They even took a timeout from SnapPlate production to help make thousands of face shields for medical professionals in the area. As manufacturers caught up with the medical community’s needs, they turned back to making SnapPlates.
On that front, they faced the same supply chain issues the rest of the US was struggling with at the time while they were also launching SnapPlates for the Model Y, X, and S along with new accessories for the Model Y. To keep up with orders and prepare for the future, they ramped our factory from two to six to a farm of Prusa i3 MK3S 3D printers.
As they found themselves investing more and more time and money into it, they decided it was also time to patent their invention. In 2021, they rebranded to EveryAmp. “We really like that the new name is positive and inclusive and how that represents our vision moving forward,” Matt says. “We plan to continue making 3D printed accessories, starting with SnapPlates for Rivian, along with video content from Tesla and other shared interests like Lucid, Nio, Canoo, Aptera, smart home, virtual reality, electric bicycles, photography, and, of course, our specialty, 3D printing.”
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Author: Davide Sher
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