About the Project

I am Steve from Transylvania, passionate about technology, design, and helping others bring their ideas to life through printing and CAD services. What began as helping classmates with projects and prototypes has grown into a mission to build an accessible, sustainable, and community-focused technical workshop.

I am seeking support to launch a small but highly dedicated printing and engineering services business focused on helping students, local professionals, and small companies access affordable and reliable technical services.

During my university years — and even now while pursuing my Master’s degree — I became the person many students turned to for help with printing, project formatting, technical drawings, CAD assistance, and prototype preparation. I regularly supported colleagues from multiple years of study, often charging only the cost of materials because I understood how difficult and expensive these services can be for students.

Over time, I realized there is a real need for accessible, professional, and student-friendly technical services in my area. I live near a well-known university centre, yet there are very few nearby businesses offering high-quality paper printing, FDM 3D printing, CAD design, scanning, and technical drawing digitization services under one roof.

My goal is to transform this passion and experience into a sustainable local business that supports education, innovation, and small-scale engineering projects. The business will provide:
• Professional paper printing and scanning services
• FDM 3D printing for prototypes and student projects
• CAD design and technical drafting assistance
• Digitization and restoration of old technical drawings
• Affordable services tailored especially for students and young engineers

This project is not just about opening a shop — it is about building a local technical support hub where students, creators, and businesses can find practical help, guidance, and affordable solutions.

The business will begin on a small scale, but it is backed by enthusiasm, long-term vision, and a team of passionate engineers with technical experience and a strong commitment to quality work.

Sustainability is also an important part of this project. I am committed to building an environmentally responsible workshop by gradually integrating solar panels to reduce energy consumption and by implementing filament recycling solutions to minimize material waste from 3D printing operations. My goal is to combine innovation, education, and responsible engineering practices in a way that benefits both the community and the environment.

Your support will help fund:
• Professional printing and 3D printing equipment
• CAD and engineering software
• Scanners and finishing tools
• Initial consumables and setup costs
• Workspace preparation and operational expenses
• Sustainable energy and recycling solutions for the workshop

Every contribution, regardless of size, directly helps create a service that will support education, creativity, and local innovation for years to come.

Thank you for believing in this project and helping transform a student initiative into a real engineering and printing business with lasting impact.

Motivation

One of the projects that truly motivated me to pursue this path began during one of our university engineering assignments. We were given an unusually shaped mechanical part and challenged to design a custom clamping device capable of securely holding it on the university’s vertical drilling machine for precise machining operations.

I started the project the traditional engineering way: by sketching ideas and concepts on paper, analysing the geometry of the part, and thinking through how the clamping forces would be distributed safely and efficiently. After several iterations, I moved the concept into SolidWorks, where I designed the complete assembly from scratch.

Once the CAD model was finalised, I produced the first functional prototype using FDM 3D printing. Each component was printed individually and carefully inspected to ensure dimensional accuracy and compatibility.

After assembling the prototype, the concept proved mechanically stable and functional. This allowed me to present the design to the professor as a fully realized engineering solution rather than just a theoretical model.

Following the successful prototype validation, I scaled the design into a full-size working model intended for real workshop usage. Seeing the prototype beside the final version highlighted the complete journey from concept to implementation.

The final full-scale assembly was mounted directly onto the university’s drilling machine and tested under real operating conditions. Despite being manufactured from PLA using FDM printing technology, the device performed exceptionally well, securely holding the part and functioning exactly as intended.

This project represents more than just a university assignment for me. It reflects the complete engineering process I want this workshop to support every day: identifying real problems, designing practical solutions, prototyping ideas, and transforming concepts into functional results through accessible engineering and manufacturing technologies.

What made this challenge particularly interesting was that every single part had a unique geometry, meaning there was no universal solution. Each clamping device had to be individually designed around the specific fit, form, and machining requirements of the assigned component. Beyond creating my own design, I also helped all of my classmates develop custom solutions for their respective parts, guiding them through the engineering and prototyping process.