Makerspace in Korea Equipped with Zortrax 3D Printers

In the recent years, 3D printing technologies have taken the world by storm. Latest developments in that field are gaining global popularity before our eyes. It’s not unusual to see governments around the world invest in additive manufacturing to support people’s eagerness to learn as well as cultivate their technological skills.

Today, we want to highlight the efforts of the Korean government which founded a makerspace at Kyungil University in Gyeongsan, South Korea. It’s a highly educational area which gives access to the newest technologies to both students and people from the local community. Read on to find out how this institution manages to do that.

3D Printing Center at Kyungil University in Gyeongsan, South Korea.

3D Printing for All

Back in 2019, governmental funds have allowed Kyungil University to establish a space for creative activities with readily available resources, such as 3D printers, laser cutters, or CNC machines. The University’s makerspace is called 3D Printing Center and it is accessible for students and local people who want to engage in projects involving the newest technological solutions. The area has become a place where both professionals and amateurs can use manufacturing equipment in their entrepreneurial projects, hobbies, or even start-up companies.

Seong-Geun Kwon, a professor at Kyungil University and the CEO of the 3D Printing Center, decided to purchase Zortrax machines, among others, for the 3D printing section of the makerspace.

Makerspace’s area devoted to Zortrax equipment.

The area devoted to Zortrax FDM machines functions as a solid basis for a full-fledged 3D printing farm as it is currently composed of:

• 6 M200 Plus printers,
• 3 M300 Plus printers,
• 1 M300 printer.

Model Production for Many Purposes

The 3D Printing Center is in fact a multi-purpose facility with a broad services offer. Anyone from the area who wants to launch a project can rent a free space for work, use devices like 3D printers, or receive proper training in operating various other machines.

As for the 3D printing and model production, Seong-Geun Kwon sees three main trends. Local citizens come to the makerspace to develop their hobbies or to manufacture replacement parts for other items. Students usually do their homework there and prepare themselves for academic competitions, whereas for entrepreneurs, 3D printing is a tool for efficient prototyping.

It is therefore not surprising that 3D printing at Kyungil University has gained tremendous popularity. It can be seen in the usage rate of the equipment available at the makerspace: “80% of 3D printers, 14% of CNC machines and other equipment, and 6% of laser cutters – these numbers show how attractive 3D printing is in our community.” – says Seong-Geun Kwon.

Seong-Geun Kwon the founder of the 3D Printing Center with Zortrax certification.

He goes on to say: “In order to realize an idea, 3D printing allows us to do it the fastest and with the lowest costs. That’s why it is suitable for all community users.”

Zortrax Ecosystem as a Reliable Solution

Professor Kwon is convinced that Zortrax ecosystem was the right choice for the makerspace. Even though he knows that printing with ABS filament can be difficult for inexperienced users, he chose it as the main material in the 3D Printing Center. What he noticed was that Zortrax machines print with ABS with great results: “ABS is used as the main material because of its good strength and post-processing possibilities. The success rate of ABS printing with Zortrax 3D printers is higher than that of other companies’ 3D printers.”

Z-ABS 3D prints made by the makerspace’s users.

Users who come to the makerspace can rely on the whole ecosystem even more thanks to Z-SUITE and its user-friendliness: “Z-SUITE is really easy to use, so trainees can print without difficulties after just an hour of training.” – points out Seong-Geun Kwon.

All in all, establishing the 3D Printing Center has been a major success. The makerspace has contributed to the improvement of local economy by giving people the right tools to develop their ideas. Zortrax 3D printers have been a large part of that success. The University’s authorities have confidence in Zortrax ecosystem and its reliability is highly valued.

Go to product information webpages to learn more about Zortrax 3D printers used at the makerspace: M200 Plus and M300 Plus.