Vancouver’s 3DQue Systems is changing the way 3D printing is performed by delivering complex plastic parts at scale with speed, cost and quality not achievable with traditional 3D printing techniques.
Now the entrepreneurship@UBC incubated startup will broaden their operations to address disruptions in global supply chains by providing critical components and supplies otherwise near impossible to obtain during the current global pandemic crisis.
To help protect front-line healthcare workers, 3DQue will scale up to service the needs of the pandemic by increasing capacity to produce parts for scarce health necessities.
3DQue’s automated suite of printers puts the startup in a unique position to produce 10,000 – 20,000 headbands for face shields and mask extenders per week locally to alleviate hospital and healthcare supply shortages without jeopardizing social distancing protocols.
They are collaborating worldwide to help design solutions and source sterilizable materials suitable for producing thousands of units of medical supplies no longer available due to closed borders or lack of stock from factory closures and other disruptions in the supply chain.
“In the wake of COVID-19, we were presented with two pressing issues we knew we had the potential to solve, the economic and human implications of the virus” said Steph Sharp, Co-Founder & CEO, 3DQue.
“By expanding the breadth of our business to provide solutions to lessen the economic impact of the virus, we are addressing supply chain issues. This will directly benefit both vulnerable front-line health care workers and the communities they serve,” she added.
Co-founded by Sharp and Mateo Pekic, 3DQue entered entrepreneurship@UBC’s venture creation program in 2019.
Through market validation training, leveraging the practical expertise of industry experts and access to the Hatch Makerspace, 3DQue were able to take their innovation from idea to commercialization in less than 6 months.