The Platonics Ark was successfully crowdfunded on November 10, 2017. For more info:

www.platonics.com

We are a startup based in Helsinki, Finland, and we have been developing the first 3D printer for architects for almost 2 years. Our mission is to make 3D printing easy, efficient and fast for architects.

After hundreds of talks with architects all over the world and a piloting period with 5 of the leading Finnish architecture offices, we believe that we understand exactly what an architect needs from a 3D printer, and how 3D printing can help all architects work more efficiently.

Our product, the Platonics Ark, makes 3D printing easy with its time-saving software and minimal maintenance, reliable and high-quality hardware. Our software converts CAD files into 3D printable STL files and fixes all internal design errors, eliminating the need for pre-processing. To make things even easier, we've automated most of the maintenance. The Ark self-calibrates, self-configures and automatically cleans itself – making 3D printing a matter of minutes.

Tekes, the most important publicly funded expert organisation for research, development and innovation in Finland, has believed in and supported us in development, and now we need your help to bring our product to market.

We want to help architects reintroduce scale models back into their daily processes, easily and efficiently. We believe that physical models have the power to radically improve their communication and design decisions.

A model in three dimensions says more than a thousand renderings and drawings. It turns your imagination into reality. However, traditional modelling often takes a lot of effort and time, and is mostly done only once or twice during a project. With 3D printing you can use scale models at every stage of your design process, efficiently.

After talking with 1027 architects, academics, and a Pritzker Prize jury member, we believe that 3D printing can significantly improve your design process by enabling:

IMPROVED COMMUNICATION

As Samuli Woolston from our pilot customer ALA Architects summed up, there’s nothing like a model to explain a form. 2D drawings and 3D renderings transform an idea into a project, but scale models turn a project into a reality in the mind of the beholder. Architectural models quickly communicate design concepts and allow people from different backgrounds to easily comprehend a project.

IMPROVED SPATIAL UNDERSTANDING

Scale models allow you to involve one extra layer of feedback into your design process: the sense of touch. This can improve your understanding of spaces and masses in ways that a computer screen fails. By experiencing your design physically you can identify flaws or new design possibilities.

IMPROVED DESIGN DECISIONS

You no longer have to restrict yourself to making one model per project. With the Ark a dozen different iterations for each design decision are possible.

IMPROVED EFFICIENCY

One of the beautiful things about 3D printers is that they do not discern between simple and complex forms. The Ark does the job quickly and efficiently regardless of shape and complexity, freeing up more time for designing. With the Ark, almost any model is only a couple of clicks away.

For more info visit: www.platonics.com/blog

The Ark is the first 3D printer developed especially for architects. It makes 3D printing easy, fast and efficient with the following features:

1. Fully automated, reliable and high-quality modular hardware

• Automatic cleaning and calibration
• Automatic maintenance of nozzle, extruders and mechanical parts
• Easily replaceable modular nozzle
• Auto-filament detection and settings auto-configuration
• Print in a wide variety of biodegradable materials

2. Time-saving CAD compatible software

• Automatic CAD to STL conversion 
• Automatic file pre-processing and optimization
• Web-based application that works on all operating systems

For more info: www.platonics.com/overview

We have been testing the Ark for 5 months with some of the leading architecture firms in Finland. Throughout these pilots, we have improved our printer’s maintenance, quality and reliability,  while helping our customers introduce 3D printing into their design processes.

During the pilot, architects who had never used a 3D printer discovered how easy it is to make scale models on a daily basis to improve communication or design decisions, and architects who had previous experience with 3D printers found the Ark superior to their previous ones. One of our customers even claims to be spending 90% less time pre-processing files and doing maintenance when compared with a competitor's product.

The 3D printing process is often time-consuming, complex and susceptible to errors. That's why we automated most of the process, so that our software is as easy and fast to use as possible. 

We have simplified the printing process down to just 4 easy steps. Forget conversion, file processing, cleaning, calibration, and parameters. Just choose what you want to print and in what quality, and the Ark takes care of the rest. 

For more info: www.platonics.com/how-it-works

The Ark is currently the easiest and fastest to use 3D printer developed, regardless if you are an architect or not. The hardware has been designed to minimize the amount of maintenance, and the software has been simplified to save you hours of time optimising parameters.

However, what really sets the Ark apart for architects is its CAD compatibility that enables architects to automatically print from Archicad, Revit, Rhino, Vectorworks & Sketchup with zero pre-processing.

Architects that currently use other 3D printers have to manually convert and repair their CAD files. This process that can easily take up to 10 hours of repairing or remodeling depending on the complexity of the model. Any errors at this phase can lead to failed prints. 

Our software saves you time in pre-processing and prevents print failure. 

For more info: www.platonics.com/pricing

RISK FREE INVESTMENT

We offer you a 10-day money back guarantee. So if our printer does not meet your usability expectations, we will take it back from your office, and give you your money back with zero logistical costs involved. 

For more info: www.platonics.com/tech-specs

Based in Helsinki, our team is made up of engineers, developers, designers and business people who share the same passion for architecture and design. We have years of experience manufacturing 3D printers, developing software, and designing Red Dot winning design products. 

We wanted to develop a 3D printer for architects because we believe that architects have the power to alter our lives. A single building can affect how thousands of people feel on a daily basis. A well-designed school enables better learning.  A beautifully designed home can make someone a little bit happier, every day.

We believe that these people who shape our lives every day with design deserve the best possible tools to elevate their design processes. We believe that 3D printing is one of them.

For more info: www.platonics.com/about

After almost 2 years of development, and 1027 (yes, we counted!) discussions with architects around the world, we are convinced that we have developed a 3D printer that really makes architects' lives easier.

Now we need your support to bring our product to all architects.

We’re crowdfunding the Ark to:

• Afford production in Germany
• Complete CE certification
• Hire more developers to make our software even better

By demonstrating there is a need of 3D printers for architects, we can unlock our next funding package to hire more people that will help us make the Ark even better.