Eline van den Doel
Interview with: Eline van den Doel
Eline is the owner and creative director of 3D Next Level. She will take you into the world of 3D printing, art, advertising and show you that creativity and sustainability can go hand in hand.
"So why should I use 3D printing?", a new customer asks me as I show him around our showroom. "Yes, why not?", I answer with a big smile. "If you like speed, producing multiple numbers at once and high detailing, 3D printing is the most logical option," I say as I grab an artwork from the cabinet. "In the past, a piece of art was only made in, say, stone, bronze or clay. With today's techniques, we do this sculpting in 3D on the computer and then we can do anything with it afterwards. After all, you can make the 3D model in any size!" "Also in 2 meters high?", the customer asks. "Yes, of course! Or in 5 meters high? Or maybe you want a small model of 20 cm ? Everything is possible!"
The client's eyes get big and you can see him visibly thinking about the possibilities this gives him. "Wow, I think I'm beginning to understand...". It's quiet for a while. You can see the customer walking through the showroom like an enthusiastic puppy, in his head it's running overtime. He grabs some color swatches from the cabinet and starts puzzling with them a bit. Then he grabs his phone and flips through his photos with his sketches and designs. The seed is planted.
I've never done it before, I think I can do it
Very often we get customers who are surprised time and again about the possibilities of 3D printing. By now I myself am not so surprised by the possibilities, for me it has become normal. When Lennart, my husband and co-owner, came back from the 3D printing fair in 2018 and proposed putting all our earned money and mortgage into the largest 3D printer in the Benelux, I enthusiastically said, "Sure honey!" And yes, we actually did it, and: successfully! Every day I challenge myself and our team to think even bigger: creatively, out-of-the-box and excellent. Every week we receive the craziest challenges from clients and every project is new and different. The famous Pippi Longstocking saying "I've never done it before, I think I can do it" has become a lived statement within our company.
Before my eyes, I see happening that technology and craft can go hand in hand using 3D printing. For example, 3D printing with special materials will eliminate the need for bronze foundries and artists to make molds of their artwork. Super efficient! But there are also unlimited possibilities for other companies: extremely high detail, large format, series production and the coolest coatings and other finishes. It's still cool to see that if you plant seeds, something really beautiful can emerge.
I believe and see that we are at the beginning of a new industrial revolution. A revolution in which 3D printing and reshoring are going to make a difference: locally and globally. Many standard business gifts, figurines, design and advertising objects are still often mass-produced, ordered and imported from low-wage countries. Yet that doesn't really fit in these times, when sustainability, CO2-emissions and human rights, are important issues. With my company, I want to make a difference in this society and make companies understand that local production is the future.
Every day I fantasize about how we can use 3D printing to change the world and make it a lot more beautiful. So that seed I also want to plant in you and yours today. Think big, together we can turn the industry upside down!
Dutch 
English 