Dunleer’sMcorjustgoingfrom strengthtostrengthin2018

ENTERPRISE Ireland has launched a new fast-track

Agile Innovation Fund, to give companies rapid access to innovation funding. The new measure has been introduced by Enterprise Ireland for companies to respond more quickly to market opportunities and challenges, including those posed by Brexit.

A previous recipient of Enterprise Ireland R&D funding, Mcor, a Dunleer headquartered company, uses paper as a base material and its printer can create high-resolution 3D objects in full colour.

“I would absolutely advise people to investigate this fund. It also means you can tell investors that a government-backed body is providing financial and logistical support, which can help to attract further investment,” Conor MacCormack, CEO and Co-founder, Mcor Technologies (pictured).

There is global demand for 3D technology, so Mcor is heavily export-focused.

“We’re selling in 50 different countries and have 150 different dealers around the world. Customers range from giants such as Honda, Samsung and Apple, to smaller businesses such as architects and 3D-printing bureaus,” says MacCormack

Before the company received Enterprise Ireland RD&I support, all its printers were large, expensive, and either couldn’t print in colour or required a separate printer to do so. “We wanted to incorporate all the steps into one printer, reduce its size and also its price to break into new markets,” MacCormack explains.

Having received RD&I funding in late 2014, Mcor set about developing its most advanced printer yet: the Arke. The R&D led to a radical redesign of the software and a complete architectural change to the electronics inside. The resulting Arke is an integrated, full-colour printer that is significantly smaller and cheaper than previous models. Its low price-point has been key to opening up new markets. While the previous printer was priced at approximately $50,000 and sold in the 100s per year, the cost of the new Arke is significantly lower – around $17,995 – and its sales are projected to be in the thousands.

The benefits of such innovation don’t end there, however, Mcor predicts that 2018 will bring a doubling of staff and a five-fold increase in sales revenue. The new printer has also opened up relationships with key distributors in the UK, Germany, France, China, Taiwan and Korea.

Mcor aims to make 3D-printing more accessible: “Our vision is to put a 3D printer into every office, classroom and home. The R&D assistance we got from Enterprise Ireland was very straightforward – we told them what we wanted to achieve, filled out the forms, did some due diligence, and received a lot of support,” says MacCormack.