Despite its association with our present-day, tech-centric society, 3D printing was initially created in the 1980s by a man named Chuck Hull, the mind behind stereolithography. This process, which enables designers to create 3D models using digital data, is still an integral aspect of modern-day 3D printing. And while Hull was limited to printing with plastic, the possibilities in printing are now virtually limitless. Today, Hull’s invention is used in a myriad of ways, from making car models to creating artificially constructed organs.
Top 3D Printing Companies in the Bay Area
- Fictiv
- ABC Imaging
- Doob
- Moddler
- Plotnet
- ProtoCafe
San Francisco is home to numerous 3D printing companies, which offer innovative, fast-paced printing and prototyping solutions. Working with some of the biggest brands in the world, these companies have the skills necessary to master this transformative trade. Whether you’re a fine artist or an engineer, these nine 3D printing companies in San Francisco will take your ideas to an entirely different dimension — literally.
Location: China Basin
Founded: 2013
What they do: Fictiv seeks to transform how teams design, develop and deliver hardware products through 3D printing and other services. With delivery as fast as 24 hours, Fictiv’s 3D printing services encompass a variety of technologies, including Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM), PolyJet, Selective Laser Sintering (SLS) and HP Multi Jet Fusion (MJF). The company uses a wide range of 3D printing materials, such as PLA, ABS, SOMOS Waterclear Ultra, VeroWhite and Nylon 12. Fictiv also offers CNC machining, injection molding and urethane casting services. The company’s specialized platform allows clients to easily upload native CAD and 2D drawings, receive instant pricing feedback and call out threaded holes.
Who they work with: Gecko Robotics, Animax Designs, Alea Labs, Lampix, quip, 219 Design, Tesla and Facebook.
Location: SoMa
Founded: 1982
What they do: With more than 35 offices around the globe, ABC Imaging provides print solutions and digital document management services, including 3D printing. Using Color Jet Printing (CJP) and Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM), the company offers a variety of 3D printing services, including architectural modeling, custom prototypes and models, topographical features and specialty services.
Who they work with: Ernest Bland Associates, P.C., Alignstaffing, Freedom House, Georgetown Olive Oil Company and Grace’s Mandarin.
Location: Civic Center
Founded: 2014
What they do: Atypical Products is designed to enable entrepreneurs, creatives and inventors to develop the best products, offering extensive 3D printing services. The company boasts in-house custom 3D printing using Stratasys FDM and PolyJet 3D printers. In addition, Atypical Products offers industrial design and mechanical engineering consulting, as well as highly customized prototyping solutions at low costs with a global network of machinists and manufacturers to quickly turn prototypes into products.
Who they work with: Havyn, Project Iceman, Velocity Clip, Kali Care, Heatwave Sunglasses, Cocola Bakery and Skeleton Candles.
Location: Cow Hollow
Founded: 2013
What they do: Founded in Dusseldorf, Germany, Doob is a full-service 3D tech company that creates 3D replicas of individuals for both personal and professional use. Boasting one of the first, fully integrated and scalable 3D pipelines, the company has a 3D platform with the ability to deliver mass-customized products to consumer markets and diverse B2B sectors. Clients are scanned at one of Doob’s outlets where the company’s proprietary software converts the images into high-res 3D files that are then printed at one of their production centers.
Who they work with: Individuals and organizations associated with architecture, medical and healthcare, fashion, fitness, sports and entertainment.
Location: Mountain View, Greater San Francisco Bay Area
Founded: 2015
What they do: Jinxbot 3D Printing provides 3D printing services to clients throughout the Bay Area. Using the Formlabs Form 2 and Makerbot Replicator 5th Gen, the company prints on a diverse set of materials for companies in a wide range of industries. To help customers with the pricing process, Jinxbot’s Order Widget determines a model’s geometric volume, explains how much material is needed and how long it will take to print, deriving a price from this information. The average turnaround time for printed materials is about 24 hours.
Who they work with: Google, Apple, Tesla, Facebook, Nokia, Intel, Airbnb and AliExpress.
Location: Dogpatch
Founded: 2008
What they do: Moddler is a 3D printing company serving product designers, fine artists, architects, inventors and others who need digital files turned into physical models. Serving clients in San Francisco and across the world, Moddler is committed to bringing the model-making process into the 21st century, enabling customers to communicate their designs accurately, quickly and easily. The company’s incredibly detailed physical models can be used as prototypes for design validation, visual approval models or physical props. Moddler’s Stratasys Objet printers use a PolyJet process, resulting in very fine detail and high accuracy during the printing process.
Who they work with: Hillsdale College, Major League Baseball, Foster and Partners / Heller Manus Architects, Tippett Studio and Khurasan Miniatures.
Location: Potrero
Founded: 1998
What they do: Plotnet offers advanced printing services to a diverse array of clients, with a focus on 3D printing. Besides 3D printing and graphics, the company offers a wide range of services, including Photoshop, mounting and laminating and scanning. Printing services encompass poster and fine art prints, as well as a variety of materials, including Epson Enhanced Matte, Moab Lasal and Hahnemuhle Photo Rag. Plotnet also offers several training courses, including a color management class, which covers topics like calibration of monitors and color settings in Adobe applications, as well as a Photoshop foundations workshop for beginners and intermediate learners, which teaches students workspace optimization, color space synchronization and selections.
Who they work with: Apollo Education Group, Eventbrite, GitHub, Salesforce, Pandora, PayPal, Lucasfilm Ltd. and Uber.
Location: Newark, Greater San Francisco Bay Area
Founded: 2003
What they do: ProtoCafe specializes in design, rapid prototyping and manufacturing services, with an emphasis on 3D printing. Committed to providing its clients with end-to-end solutions, the company offers a full suite of technologies for 3D printing services, including Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM), Objet/Polyjet, Projet, Stereolithography, as well as Selective Laser Sintering (SLS) and Direct Metal Laser Sintering (DMLS). ProtoCafe’s other services include laser cutting, rapid prototyping, tradeshow-quality model finishing, rapid casting and 3D scanning and CAD design.
Who they work with: Playstation, Boston Scientific, Google, Disney, Apple, NASA, Samsung, Camelbak and EA Sports.
Location: Panhandle
Founded: 2017
What they do: 3D printed microTEC specializes in 3D printed microstructures and packaging of 3D microsystems for industrial applications. The company uses a proprietary additive manufacturing technology to produce large volumes of precise 3D structures. When working on 3D printed microstructures, the company provides a full bandwidth of services, from custom product development to mass volume production. To create 3D microsystems with 3D chip-size-packaging, they use a unique 3d printing service technology, which allows a direct ramp up from prototyping to medium and mass volume production. The company also develops 3D CAD models, specializes in system integration and module building blocks to simulate and create clients’ packaging and coats or wires packaging using physical vapor deposition (VPD).
Who they work with: Industrial organizations.
