Slice Listed as a Top Startup to Follow by Welp Magazine
No one knows yet what the final effects of 2020 will be on the global economy, public health, and political structures. One thing is for sure though, additive manufacturing (3D printing) is here to stay. In the midst of the upheaval of supply chains and a realization of the importance of localized manufacturing, 3D printing has shown through, saving lives and providing solutions that were previously impossible.
Mirroring, and outpacing, the additive manufacturing industry at large, Slice Engineering has grown significantly this year, in spite of the turbulent times and unprecedented economic pressures on startups. We have stuck with our core values of adding innovation and applying fundamental mechanical design principles to the problems we encounter, and our customers, you, have rewarded us accordingly.
That dedication to core values has also landed us on a prestigious global list of startups to follow. Welp Magazine, an online publication focused on technology, recently published their global list of 28 Top Mechanical Design Startups to Follow in 2020. Slice Engineering debuted at #11, one of only a handful of US companies to make the cut. The article’s introduction provides a glimpse into their rationale:
“We’ve done the heavy work of sourcing a list of startups making marvelous mechanical design innovations and created a comprehensive list of mechanical design startups to follow.
In our research, we compiled a list of startups actively doing mechanical design work as their primary function. This article is not a list of startups doing design consulting.
What we call mechanical design, others might call engineering or industrial design. For the purposes of this article, mechanical design is the creation of 3D models and drawings that describe the individual components of a product and how they work together. Mechanical design is a core part of the design process, and it’s especially crucial for physical product design.”
As stated by Welp Magazine, Slice is not engaged in design or engineering consulting, but mechanical design is a primary function for the company. Mechanical design is critical to the creation of the physical products we produce. In fact, you could say mechanical design is one of our guiding principles – Let Form Follow Function, our design philosophy, is a call to focus on the fundamentals of function and allow that function to drive form (appearance). We see this principle at work in nature everywhere we look. In a famous example the shape of the kingfisher bird’s beak, a bird that hunts by diving after its prey, is ideal for cutting through water. The function – efficiently slicing through a fluid medium – is the raison d'être for the shape of the kingfisher’s beak. That shape inspired the design of Japan’s famous bullet train, Shinkansen, and allows the train to efficiently slice through air at speeds of almost 200 mph (320 km/h).
Like the kingfisher, our nature inspired products, the Mosquito and Copperhead hotends, have been designed with functionality in mind. Every detail has been poured over to ensure excellence, quality, and reliability. If you have one of our products, thank you for supporting us. We vow to stay the course. If you do not, perhaps it’s time to add some more form and function to your 3D printing experience.