Member Article

Young entrepreneur capitalises on demand for 3D printing

A Yorkshire entrepreneur seeking to capitalise on the boom in demand for 3D printing is targeting turnover of more than £100,000 in his first full year in business.

Harry Bairstow, 24, has established Fetera, a 3D filament manufacturing company. The Keighley-based business is producing high quality filament in a range of colours at its premises at Halifax Road, Cross Roads, Keighley.

3D printing creates three-dimensional objects by transferring consecutive material layers through a 3D printer. Interest in 3D printing has grown as technology has advanced to make printers more affordable, both for research and development (R&D) purposes and for hobbyists keen to learn and explore the art of 3D printing at home.

Harry – a keen 3D hobbyist himself - discovered that not only was it was difficult to source high quality filament that would enable trouble-free printing, but that most of it was imported from China and the Netherlands.

Using his knowledge of the plastics industry gained in a previous role, Harry has invested in new machinery and set up his company to manufacture printing filament in the UK.

Harry Bairstow, managing director of Fetera, said: “Increased investment in R&D is encouraging innovation and driving demand among the 3D printing community.

“We have spent two years perfecting our material and quality is our focus – our filament is competitively priced to ensure clog-free printing every time and is manufactured here in the UK so customers are assured of a speedy delivery.”

Fetera’s filament is produced to a stringently controlled manufacturing process. Investment in cutting-edge equipment, including a dual axis laser micrometre gauge, enables its material to be manufactured to a tolerance of no more than +/-0.03 mm ensuring the product is consistent, reliable and trouble free.

Produced from sugar cane, the polylactic acid (PLA) based filament is also 100% compostable.

Fetera is a member of Made in Britain – an initiative which champions UK manufacturing.  Fetera’s supply chains and collaborations are built around other British manufacturers, demonstrating its support for ‘backing Britain’ and enabling sustainability throughout the firm’s production operations. 

Harry said: “Fetera means innovation and creativity in the Ethiopian language which sums up perfectly what we have achieved so far and our ambitions for the future of the business.”

During the Covid-19 pandemic, Fetera donated 50 reels of filament to groups of volunteers who were using 3D printers to create headband components for face masks used by frontline NHS staff and worldwide.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Richard Abbott .