Fahrid has been 3D printing since it was not mainstream yet. Actually since Shapeways existed. He is a graphic designer by origin so creation has been there from the start. In regard to 3D printing, he started as a collector, making collectibles with his 3D Printer.

It all began with a print on demand service where customers can buy their own products that they want to print. His website is called www.solid-heroes.com. The site consists of 3 parts, the initial setup was that you have 3 steps: 

1. Have a 3D model designed from the moment of idea if you can’t model yourself, apply on the site , 
2. The next step is printing the desired model, 
3. The third step is uploading it in ‘your’ shop. The shop is a multishop website, so customers can have their own 3D products printed by Fahrid and then sell in their own shop on his website.

Fahrid has 4 printers in total, 3 of which are Anycubics – 2 original Photons and 1 Photon Mono X and an FDM printer. He also tells us that he ‘just rolled in at first’. His Anycubic was the very first printer he came across and never had a problem with it.

After a number of his own companies, including 1 for 3D printing, he could no longer keep up with demand for 3D printing. It also appeared that the demand for larger prints could no longer be met and that is when he bought larger ones. At the time being, he still prints with his Anycubic Printers.

Fahrid’s tips & tricks for 3D printing and the consumables he uses:

Find a product and stick with it, so e.g. pick a resin and stick with it and perfect it. If it works, don’t change it.

Fahrid says he had resin from Anycubic itself, after which his prints failed, and after a while he tried another brand and when that sucked he bought a Phrozen Beige bottle, then it was perfect.

Next to that his tip is to find a good slicer. Fahrid has been using the Lychee slicer and Wanhao slicer.

His final tip is to keep your workplace clean, keep in mind that it takes work to keep it clean.

Why does Fahrid like to buy his products at FEPshop?

“Easy: it is in the Netherlands. That makes it convenient. In addition, Rolf (Rolf Meijer, the owner) is accessible, if something is wrong it will be arranged. It is certainly not the cheapest option, but it is an overall customer experience and customer service. In addition, FEPshop has a full-fledged store that offers anything that you might think of while 3D printing. 

And last but not least, the reputation is good, which is also important. When people in a FB group ask how about FEPshop you never hear anything bad about the company.”

Link to Fahrid’s website: www.solid-heroes.com

Hi Richard, you’re next in this series of meeting the FEPshop people, please introduce yourself!

Hey guys, my name is Richard and I’m in customer support.

What do you do at the FEPshop headquarters on a day-to-day basis?

I provide support to all our customers in need of any help, be it technical support or help choosing the right product.

What form of transportation do you use to get to the office?

Bike.

How did your relationship with FEPshop start?

I applied and they gave me the job 🙂

Why do you like working for FEPshop?

Apart from having a weak spot for growing start-up companies, I like the team and the effort that gets put in by everybody.

What was your first introduction to 3D printing like?

To be honest, I was not familiar with the subject. But thanks to our technician and colleagues I became a lot more experienced with the fascinating world of 3D printing.

What do you find fascinating about 3D technology?

The thing which fascinates me most is how fast the technology is developing. I’m very curious where the application of 3D printing in our daily life will be 5 years from now.

If you had €1000 to spare, which 3D printer would you buy, or which add-on or consumable?

Hmm, tough question, but I would go for the Sonic Mini 8K. The specs are crazy as the highest resolution consumer printer out there at the moment. With the remaining money I would buy some resin. These to be more specific: Phrozen Resin – Nylon Like – Green, Phrozen Resin Rock – Black and Phrozen SC-801 Clear.

If you could print any object in the world, what would you print for yourself?

I would like to print a vinyl record!

What do you expect will happen in 3D printing in the next 5 years?

I’m not sure if this will happen in the next 5 years, but I hope there will be one-stop shops where machine parts can be printed directly on the spot, and the application of arm or leg cast printing in the medical field.

If you’re not in the office, or at home, where would we find you?

If I’m not at work I’m either at the gym or the rehearsal space making music with friends.

Hi Karolina, nice talking to you! Would you please introduce yourself?

My name is Karolina and I am from Poland. I finished my Bachelors Biomedical Engineering at University. For my Masters level I did Materials Engineering and I decided to also do a second study and completed a Management and Production Engineering degree too.

I have extensive experience in the field of 3D printing. I’m a 3D printing specialist and Technical Product Manager.

What do you do at the FEPshop headquarters on a day-to-day basis?

Oooh! That is too much to write down in a few lines. But it is a lot of technical work like testing, printing, solving problems and helping clients.

What form of transportation do you use to get to the office?

Car or bike.

How did your relationship with FEPshop start?

Smiling: By sending my resume!

Why do you like working for FEPshop?

Because FEPshop gives me a lot of challenging tasks, because I am interested in the 3D printing process and how 3D printing can change the world, especially for medical applications.

What was your first introduction to 3D printing like?

I had it already during my study and I decided to choose this path for my future.

What do you find fascinating about 3D technology?

Using 3D printing technologies we can create complex objects and actually safe human life in the future.

If you had €1000 to spare, which 3D printer would you buy, or which add-on or consumable?

I would not spend this money, I would save them for the future to buy a high quality 3d printer. (Really Karolina? We now wonder how much you would save and what you would buy for it!)

If you could print any object in the world, what would you print for yourself?

A lot, especially personalized, unique items that someone else would not have. My first professional job was to be a constructor, so I know how to design in CAD programs and I could definitely create something and then print it.

What do you expect will happen in 3D printing in the next 5 years?

I expect that 3D printing will grow even faster and that we will actually use it wider.

What is your personal ambition career wise? Where will you be 10 years from now?

I would love to support women in this male dominated business and be a girl boss, because we women are underestimated. But I also hope that by this time I will have my own small jazz café.

If you’re not in the office, or at home, where would we find you?

Traveling around the world or just in the cinema or doing yoga or dancing or in the jazz club or restaurant. I love to cook, bake, eat and explore food in other countries. (Please take us with you Karolina!)

What would you like to say about yourself in addition to the above?

I love to spend time with my family, friends, watching a lot of movies and series and listening to jazz, soul and funk music. I am a typical feeder so in my house there is always enough to eat. I love to explore good places to be, to learn about countries, their food.

Hi Teunis, pleasure talking to you! Could you reveal a little about yourself?

Teunis, 31, Dutch.

Very concise Teunis! So what do you do at the FEPshop headquarters on a day-to-day basis?

I repair printers that are coming back from users, and when that’s done I help at logistics.

What form of transportation do you use to get to the office?

I live in the city center of Groningen and close enough so that the easiest way that I come on the bike.

How did your relationship with FEPshop start?

While I was looking for work I applied for a logistics position (and got it). And when the technician became ill the repair work got more and more and I started doing the repairs and to this day I am still doing it.

Why do you like working for FEPshop?

It’s still a growing company and I want to see all the changes, be part of these changes and give my ideas to make things work better.

What was your first introduction to 3D printing like?

When I applied for a job at FEPshop and they wanted me to come by for the interview I Googled it to get a little information. And now I got a printer from the company at home to play with and I love it.

What do you find fascinating about 3D technology?

That you make stuff you like yourself instead of buying it and even with moving parts, I find that amazing.

If you had €1000 to spare, which 3D printer would you buy, or which add-on or consumable?

I would probably buy the Sonic Mighty. It’s a really nice and simple machine to use.

If you could print any object in the world, what would you print for yourself?

I would print my furniture. I think it would be really cool to have all printed furniture in my house.

What do you expect will happen in 3D printing in the next 5 years?

Anything can happen. There are printers that can print a house in 24 hours so we can expect anything.

What is your personal ambition career wise? Where will you be 10 years from now?

I’m not a career chaser. I just want to help this company grow to its maximum potential and beyond that.

If you’re not in the office, or at home, where would we find you?

At friends, family or at a pub.

(We’ll meet you there Teunis!)

Hi Laura, please introduce yourself to our readers!

My name is Laura, I am 25 years old and I am born and raised in in the Netherlands. Before working at FEPshop I worked in several companies varying from the catering industry to telemarketing to living on an island in the Caribbean handling the distribution of Coconut Rum. So very varied you can say.

What do you do at the FEPshop headquarters on a day-to-day basis?

At the FEPshop headquarters I take care of a part of Customer Support, I create content, solve issues with orders together with the Logistics Department, solve issues with UPS and probably everything in between.

What form of transportation do you use to get to the office?

I am Dutch, so I ride my bike! 🙂

How did your relationship with FEPshop start?

It started through an acquaintance of mine who used to work for this company. I wanted to do something else in terms of work and there was a Customer Support position open which I took.

Why do you like working for FEPshop?

I think it is fun to work in an environment that represents the future, is very innovative and can make a difference in many ways (and lives too)! Next to that, I like the environment of a start-up/scale-up sized company.

What was your first introduction to 3D printing like?
Well, I came in the office and I saw 3D-printers. That was actually my first introduction to 3D printers in real life. Ofcourse my interest in the field was always there, like i said I like innovative ideas and had read about 3d printing before, but had never seen them.

What do you find fascinating about 3D technology?
That the possibilities are endless. You can’t think of it, and there is some possibility to print it. Organs, legs, food or industrial parts, the sky’s the limit.

If you had €1000 to spare, which 3D printer would you buy, or which add-on or consumable?
Oef, that is a hard one. But I think I would go for the Sonic Mega 8K! The build size is insane!!

If you could print any object in the world, what would you print for yourself?

I would print an airplane. So that I can show all my friends and family all my favourite parts of the world, explore more and be able to experience the ultimate feeling of freedom. Oh, and I would clone one of my friends who is a pilot so that her clone can fly the plane 😀

What do you expect will happen in 3D printing in the next 5 years?

That printing houses will be ‘normal’ and it will be more common to use 3D printing in the medical field for a wide variety of purposes.

What is your personal ambition career wise? Where will you be 10 years from now?

In 10 years I run my own business, preferably location independent and I would stay somewhere on a tropical island in the coldest months in the Netherlands.

If you’re not in the office, or at home, where would we find you?

In the gym! Always.

What would you like to say about yourself in addition to the above?

Nothing more to add, just some advice: enjoy life to the fullest and do not forget about the little things. 

Groningen (NL) based entrepreneur Rolf Meijer founded FEPshop in early 2017 when he was looking for FEP film for his own SLA projects. It was hard to come by and very expensive so when he found a supplier only willing to ship one-meter-wide rolls he took a deep breath and bought it. First, he supplied friends and other makers, cutting up the roll to resin vat size, but soon resin 3D people found out about him and started to order what they needed. A first simple shop was set up and FEPshop was on its way.

Rolf (52) is an engineer in body and spirit and has an extensive past solving sticky problems with new technology. In the early ‘90s he was already producing 3D video animations for TV for clients such as Philips. Later he developed computer generated content for TV formats, using off-the-shelf PC’s hooked up to the television studio and 2000 phone lines, to name a few of his achievements.

Hi Rolf, what do you do at the FEPshop headquarters on a day-to-day basis?

“Here in Groningen, we have a small team of 12 people so my first order of the day is to check if we are all on the same page and everybody can be as effective as they need to be. At FEPshop it is all about the team, together we make things happen. After that, and my fourth coffee, I will focus on the supply chain: which products are selling well right now and which products need to be ordered so we have a constant supply of popular and top-notch 3D printers and consumables. Recent world-affairs have made this part of the business much more important as most products and innovations come from the far east.”

Rolf continues; “When the web shop is running well, I have my hands free to do more technical and future oriented stuff like experimenting with new products, advising business clients switching to 3D printing, and reading up on industry developments. Then, of course there is the paperwork, not my hobby for sure but part of the package all the same.” Also, development of the organisation as a whole is part of Rolf’s working week; “Except from Fepshop we have set up separate companies Citoforma to service business clients and Distriforma to supply distribution partners all over Europe. These companies combined form the Citoforma Group.”

What form of transportation do you use to get to the office?

“What kind of a question is this? I don’t care about cars. At the moment I’m still driving my old Honda Hybrid. Well over ten years old, ik kept it because it never had a malfunction. But in the last few months it is beginning to show some worrying electronic difficulties. So, I’m on the lookout for a new car. Any suggestions?” (Yes, live a little and buy a classic Saab Rolf!)

Why do you like working at FEPshop?

“The combination of working with young, smart and enthusiastic colleagues, helping people realizing their 3D dreams and thinking up new applications and shaping the future. That may sound bombastic but it is my reality and I love doing it.”

What was your first introduction to 3D printing like?

“I became interested in 3D technology when I started playing with Lightwave on the Commodore Amiga. Amazing technology that we used in my first company to generate 3D animations many years before Pixar produced Toy Story. Years later I found a way to make 3D tangible with 3D printing, a breakthrough moment seeing your designs come to life.”

What do you find fascinating about 3D technology?

“The fast pace of innovation, materials, and technology. It moves so fast, just thinking about the possible applications makes your head spin.”

If you had €1000 to spare, which 3D printer would you buy, or which add-on or consumable?

“I’d buy one of the cheaper but high quality Phrozen printers and some FEP film and a lot  of (Phrozen ABS like) resin (black and white), and design and print an amazing chess set.”

If you could print any object in the world, what would you print for yourself?

“A 50 feet yacht to sail our family of 4 to Malaysia.” Rolf smiles, “There we would anchor in a secluded bay where I would spend the days scuba diving and barbecuing.”

What do you expect will happen in 3D printing in the next 5 years?

“I can make an educated guess that (home) 3D printers will keep evolving steadily. But the most interesting evolution or maybe revolutions in the next 5 years will come from new materials.”

What is your personal ambition career wise? Where will you be 10 years from now?

“Hahaha, I printed my 50 feet yacht and I’m sailing the Indonesian archipelago. Just kidding, I love to work and I will probably be working on some new breakthrough technology.”

If you’re not in the office, or at home, where would we find you?

“Oh, that one is easy. We have a lovely little holiday home at a lake in the Dutch province of Drenthe. My wife and our two children love being there and so do I. You know what they say, if the wife and kids are happy, daddy has an easy life.” Rolf grins. 

What would you like to share about yourself in addition to the above?

“I’m a lot more optimistic than people seem to think.”