E156: The Gainesville Company That’s Changing 3D Printing | Dan Barousse & Chris Montgomery of Slice Engineering

Dan Barousse and Christ Montgomery were working together at a 3D printing company when they encountered a problem with no solution.

Where some would’ve given up, Dan and Chris saw an opportunity. They created the solution they were looking for: new technology that would allow for high-temperature 3D printing. And they ran with it. 

Working with Gainesville’s startup resources and the Innovation Hub, they started Slice Engineering in 2017. To build the foundation for their company, they both put in work on top of 40 hours a week at their day jobs. 

Only 4 years later, Slice has a team of 10 employees that ships 3D printer components to hobbyists and printer manufacturers across the globe.

Their growth has been helped along by a sound business partnership, Gainesville’s innovation infrastructure, and a spotlight on 3D printing at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Supply chains were so messed up, were so disjointed, and a lot of companies were not ready to shift production. 3D printing really came into its own in a lot of respects.”

Looking to the future, the Slice founders anticipate that 3D printing will become more common over time. As businesses continue to adopt the technology and designing becomes more user-friendly, we might see 3D printers popping up more often. 

“We’ve seen it with the drone industry, the PC industry, things like Bluetooth connectivity in your car. These were all things that people talked about 20-40 years ago but weren’t realistic or feasible. It took time for that to catch up.”

Listen to the 156th episode of the WHOA GNV podcast to hear all about Dan and Chris’s entrepreneurial journey!

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