Kwik Kopy Bondi Junction has become the first Australian franchise print shop to offer 3D printing, feeding a growing local demand for 3D architectural and medical models. Emmanuel Constantinou, owner of the franchise, says he trialled the technology for a few months while building interest among existing clients before purchasing the machine. The shop’s new $150,000 ProJet 660Pro 3D printer has an A3-size, 20cm deep print area and prints in resin, plastic and titanium. It can print in colour and is capable of producing different objects inside each other.

Emmanuel Constantinou with some of his 3D printing creations

Constantinou is particularly buoyant on the architecture market as local councils are increasingly demanding 3D models for building approval instead of just drawn plans. Though larger models can take 10 to 12 hours to print, he says this is faster and cheaper than the painstaking foam board or plywood models architects usually create, and smaller jobs may only take a few hours. The print shop is also getting orders for 3D promotional products and medical applications such as teaching aids and anatomical models that doctors can use to plan surgeries and treatments. Early clients include Caltex, Fitness First, nearby private hospitals like St Vincent’s, and two local councils. The franchisee says he is proud to be an early adopter of the technology, and sees the technology as an extension of the business that will complement print. Once he is given a 3D computer model of the job, he says the price is determined only by the amount and type of substrate used. Though the technology is only economical for very short runs, it is capable of mass customisation that Constantinou says will make it a winner in key markets. He says, “Every day we discover new things we can do with it, it is bringing imagination to life.”

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