Small Business Manufacturing
“Proto21 has customers like ADNOC, Adidas, Expo2020, Emirates Air Lines, Ministry of Defense, and McDermott & Dubai.”
PAPir ArkamFounder & CEO, Proto21
Proto21
Read the storyProto21 case study in numbers
Proto21 is a prototyping and custom manufacturing workshop in Dubai. Founded in 2018, it is the market leader for 3D printing in the Middle East and North Africa, growing from a single laptop and printer.
- 60+3D printers in the workshop
- 25+countries their work is seen in
- 30employees in Dubai
40Original Prusa machines
The workshop operates more than 60 3D printers, 40 of which are Original Prusa machines.
One printer, a laptop, and a business bay office
- ProblemProto21 opened in 2018 with a small office space in a business bay, one 3D printer and a laptop, Pir Arkam, a mechatronics professional with expertise in additive manufacturing, and a single machine.
- SolutionOperating 40 Original Prusa machines, the workshop delivers proof-of-concept models, small-batch production, and custom manufacturing for clients across 25+ countries. The shop grew around what customers actually asked for: a team of 3D designers who can turn customers’ ideas into functioning prototypes, running PLA, PETG, and TPU.Printed onPLAPETG
- ValueThirty people in Dubai, the market leader for 3D printing in the Middle East and North Africa, and customers like ADNOC, Adidas, Expo2020, Emirates Air Lines, the Ministry of Defense, and McDermott & Dubai. With the number of contracts steadily climbing, Proto21 plans to buy 30 more printers and move to a new workshop.
“Our journey began in a small office space in a business bay with only one 3D printer and a laptop.”
Pir Arkam, Founder & CEO at Proto21
The part customers cannot tell was printed
- ProblemArchitectural installations in luxury retail spaces, like the Dubai Mall, cannot look like rough prototypes. The parts must meet strict commercial aesthetic standards. A part that looks printed reads as a prototype.
- SolutionOne of Proto21’s specialties is post-processing 3D models with various techniques, including chrome finishing, smoothing, and sandblasting. Their expertise allows FDM prints to pass as finished commercial products. Looking at most of their models, customers would not even guess they were 3D printed.
- ValueProto21 is well recognized for delivering impressive projects, from intricate statues to complex architectural features in places like the Dubai Mall. The facade they created for the Adidas store is made with over 1,000 3D-printed parts.
Miniatures for a defence ministry, face shields for a city
- ProblemThe contracts come from automotive, tooling, healthcare, architecture, and the Department of Defense. Proto21 is open to any kind of customer, even the smallest one. One workshop has to be an agile supplier to all of them.
- SolutionThe fleet pivots seamlessly between distinct applications. The exact same machines that print 1,000 architectural facade pieces also produce remarkably detailed miniatures of military equipment, such as armored trucks and other hardware for the Department of Defense. When the pandemic came, they joined the worldwide 3D printing community effort and mass-produced more than 6,000 face shields for Dubai medical workers and police.
- ValueThe team’s work can be seen in more than 25 countries, for global brands such as Adidas, Gartner, Siemens and Nissan, and for the smallest customer who walks in with an idea.
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Customer story Shark.Aero
Shark.Aero prints the parts its aircraft could not buy
The Slovak aircraft maker moved grips, gear doors and cockpit fittings in-house. Parts that took eight weeks from a supplier now take a day on the shop floor.
- 100+printed parts per aircraft
- 100 hsaved per aircraft
- +10km/h from iteration
“3D printing saves us about 100 work hours per aircraft.”
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Your team’s questions, answered
What engineering, quality and procurement usually ask before the first print.
Manufacturing Engineer
Tooling / production
R&D Engineer
Materials / durability
Quality / Traceability Engineer
Quality assurance
Maintenance Technician
Spares / repairs
Procurement Lead
Purchasing