Layerloop,  a pioneering Italian manufacturer of industrial 3D printers, is making a bold entry into the North American market with the recent addition of Ben Arnold as an advisor in the U.S. Ben, founder of Additive Advocates, is an industry veteran with nearly two decades of experience, having worked with top players and technologies in the 3D printing space. His deep understanding of the industry’s evolution and future trends makes him an invaluable asset to Layerloop as they expand their innovative solutions into new territories. One of Layerloop’s most innovative features is its integrated conveyor belt, which allows continuous operation 24/7, significantly boosting production efficiency.

In this exclusive interview, Ben shares his thoughts on the current state of the 3D printing market, why he decided to join Layerloop, and his strategies for succeeding in an increasingly competitive landscape. With a focus on practical solutions, innovation, and customer-driven value, Ben’s insights reflect his enthusiasm for the potential of 3D printing and his confidence in Layerloop‘ s unique position to disrupt the industry.

Q: Some news articles suggest that the growth of 3D printing may be slowing a bit. What do you think about this?

Ben Arnold:  Overall growth of the market is very strong.  There are too many suppliers right now which is certainly diluting the opportunity for suppliers to grow.  But for USERS of the technology, things are on fire.  Nimble businesses can bypass many of the expensive steps in traditional manufacturing.  Old school manufacturers are waking up to this reality day by day as they lose ground to upstarts.
A new generation of designers, engineers and entrepreneurs have grown up with the technology. 3D Printing is literally their method of choice.  It is not perceived as “non-traditional”  

Q: You have worked with many leading companies and products in the 3D printing industry. What made you interested in working with Layerloop?

Ben Arnold:  I’ve been fortunate to work on many exciting innovations in the industry since 2006. In the early days, it was honestly more about being in the right place at the right time as the industry took off. But over the past 6 to 7 years, I’ve made a real effort to focus on technologies that can truly accelerate the industry.

In my opinion, Layerloop  fits that description perfectly. Leonardo and his team are filling a clear gap in the market with a very clever twist on the widely used and accepted FFF (Fused Filament Fabrication) technology. They’ve already achieved early success in their home market of Italy and have a very strong business and financial partner in their parent company.

Q: What strategies do you think are crucial to establishing a strong presence in the competitive 3D printer market?

Ben Arnold:  A few things are really critical to entering the current market.

First – have an truly differentiated product that solves a problem for customers.  This is easy to say, but really hard to do.   The market does not need another “me too” product that is 10% faster or 15% larger.   The market rewards equipment that hits the mark on productivity, quality, cost and user experience.  

Layerloop innovations are relevant and easy to understand.   Continuous production of large and small parts directly on a conveyor belt.  All from a low cost machine that has a small footprint in the factory.

Second – you need a plan for distribution and support in the field.  We have worked with Layerloop’s management to design a program that will attract high quality distribution partners to build a solid foundation for the business.

Q: What are your thoughts on Layerloop’s plans for entering the North American market?

Ben Arnold:  The Layerloop product line has a great combination of price, unique capabilities, and broad technical familiarity due to the FFF backbone.   The technical benefits are easy to demonstrate and cost justify for customers.  This leads to short sales cycles and fast implmentations.   These factors are an excellent fit for a channel distribution model.  That is the route to market Layer Loop has chosen.  Established players in the US reseller market have show strong interest and will be launching through Q4 and into 2025.