Looking for information on 3D printing company RepRap? We‘ve accumulated the most important facts in this company profile.

1. Full Name

RepRap Ltd.

2. Company Information

Situating itself in a unique and extremely influential position within the worldwide 3D printing community, the project started as a British initiative to develop a self-replicating desktop printer. This model prompted a revolution in additive manufacture, which launched the consumer industry as we now know it.

Although some business have started using their ideas, it is not to be recognised as a 3D printing company.

3. Company History

Adrian Bowyer was a senior academic at Bath University where he invented RepRap – the replicating rapid prototyper. It was the first of the low-cost 3D printers, and he started the open-source 3D printer revolution. Adrian was also a director of RepRapPro Ltd and has been a director of RepRap Ltd since its establishment. He is primarily responsible for the research direction and does most of the electronic and mechanical design, as well as writing most of the software.

Since then, the idea has spread into a huge community of users worldwide. They are connected by shared use of the forum and website reprap.org, the project is a movement of desktop 3D printing enthusiasts sharing knowledge on how to develop the technology.

RepRap (short for replicating rapid-prototyper) is an open design, meaning all of the designs produced by the project are released under a free software licence. Although this is now a very common model found across the desktop / consumer 3D printing industry (with many small companies attributing their success to the influence of the original project), the idea was revolutionary at the time of its launch over a decade ago.

After the widespread success of the initiative, the project also established a commercial arm called RepRapPro, which offered products for sale. In January 2016, the company announced its closure, claiming that the market for low-cost 3D printers had become so crowded and competitive that it could no longer continue to be profitable. There’s still an independent branch operating in China.

4. Company Products

Rather than offering a selection of product, the community delivers a number of key resources:

Build a RepRap

With a full, detailed instruction manual which can be accessed for free online, RepRap continues to encourage makers to engage in the  movement by building their own 3D printer. All machines are named after famous biologist. The first four official 3D printing machines were “Darwin” (March 2007), “Mendel” (October 2009), “Prusa Mendel” and “Huxley” (2010). Since then, hundreds of variants exist.

Forums

Connect with other RepRappers from around the world to discuss printing practice, fabrication methods and more.

Legacy

The project established many of the key foundations from which 21st century attitudes to making have been formed. You find a lot of information on the Wiki page, which should help you build your 3D printer for a fraction of the cost of a commercial one.

5. RepRap Founder

Dr Adrian Bowyer, 2004

6. CEO

Due to its decentralized structure, there’s no CEO.

7. Employees

n/a.

8. Headquarters and Address

n/a.

9. Contact

RepRap Ltd, Dr. Adrian Bowyer’s company.

10. Website

The official Forum and Idea Exchange

RepRapPro in China.

11. Social links

n/a.