The 3D printing machine takes CAD or other 3D drawings and builds a perfectly detailed, scale model in colour.
Mark Newcomb, of Neville Newcomb Reprographics says the new technology is revolutionising industries such as architecture and engineering because it allows designers to quickly and cost-effectively produce a physical model based on the 3 dimensional renderings of their designs.
He says the technology will be used to provide clients with something they haven’t been able to get from a firm like his before.
“Our 3D printer is able to build a model, in colour, in a matter of hours. You have to see it to believe it. We are thrilled to have this exciting new technology in our hands. It’s the biggest revolution that I’ve seen since the photocopier.”
Newcomb said that the technology is currently being used overseas by such companies as Sony, Adidas, Canon, NASA and BMW as part of their prototyping process.
Based in Auckland, Neville Newcomb Reprographics has been at the forefront of printing and copying technology in New Zealand since the 1940s.
The Newcomb family says it can trace its heritage back to 1685 when Thomas Newcomb was designated “Kings Printers” during the reigns of three English monarchs, controlling all religious and court printing.
In 1785 the Newcombs took control of the world’s first daily newspaper, in Lincoln England, they claim.
In New Zealand, Neville started Neville Newcomb Ltd in 1896, and his brother Stanley started Stanley Newcomb Printing which was later sold to the NZ Herald in 1980.
