01-01-2013: Centrum Druku 3D – the largest and longest-running AM portal in Poland was founded
It is one of the longest running AM portals in the world
On January 1, 2013, I – Pawel Slusarczyk – began the process of creating a blog about 3D printing. Within a few months, it grew into the most important medium for Additive Manufacturing in Poland. Centrum Druku 3D (3D Printing Center) became the place where all major Polish companies took their first steps, and where all major international companies introduced their solutions to Polish consumers.
As a portal, we organized conferences and AM trade fairs, created the world’s first industry awards, and conducted training sessions. Although I have not been a part of Centrum Druku 3D for almost a year now (I sold it at the beginning of 2024), it continues to operate and delivers daily news from the world of AM.
At the end of 2012, I was working as a manager at one of the largest interactive agencies in my city. Despite being involved in major projects for some of Poland’s biggest companies, I was searching for a new path in life. My trigger for change? A news story about Cody Wilson and DEFCAD – a platform for sharing 3D-printable gun files. Of course, I didn’t intend to print guns, and I already knew what 3D printing was. But this news, which was heavily covered by mainstream media at the end of 2012, inspired me to dive into the topic.
As a career sales & marketing professional, my original idea was simply to sell 3D printers. But they needed advertising space... So I thought the cheapest solution would be to advertise them on my own 3D printing portal! Yes, that was my brilliant plan!
In the last two or three days of December 2012, I started gathering basic information about 3D printing and the industry. I learned the names “3D Systems,” “Stratasys,” “MakerBot,” and “RepRap.” At the beginning of 2013, I began to get organized.
Initially, I published everything on free blogging platforms like Google Blogger. I didn’t buy the domain centrumdruku3d.pl until February 28, 2013, and the independent website, based on a default WordPress template, was launched in early March. The first article was about Nokia and the 3D printing files it released for the Lumia 820 case. The publication date is listed as January 20, 2013, but the portal has gone through so many changes that I’m not sure if that date wasn’t adjusted at some point (meaning it was published earlier?).
Here’s an interesting tidbit: Initially, my blog was called Świat Druku 3D ("World of 3D Printing"). However, when I tried to buy the domain in February, I discovered it had already been registered at the end of November 2012. So, I picked the first available domain that came to mind – Centrum Druku 3D ("3D Printing Center"). It stuck, and in hindsight, I think it was an excellent choice.
I created Centrum Druku 3D, but Centrum Druku 3D created me.
To this day, I wonder how a silly news story about 3D-printed guns from 2012 pushed me in a completely different direction and changed my life forever. For me personally, January 1, 2013, is not just the date the portal was established; it marks the boundary between my old and my new life.
Source: www.centrumdruku3d.pl