Ogden home to world's biggest 3D printer

  Whiteclouds, a 3D printing services company located in Business Depot Ogden, showcased what it is touting as the largest 3D printing facility in the world at an open house recently. The new, 60,000-square-foot facility features 24 full-color, three-dimensional printers from 3D Systems of Rock Hill, South Carolina.

“Our new facility is designed for world-class manufacturing,” said Jerry Ropelato, CEO of Whiteclouds. “Its location is very strategic and our layout is conducive to lean manufacturing principles and high-quality production.”

The company’s recent expansion more than doubles its full-color printing capacity and makes Whiteclouds the largest full-color 3D print services provider in world, according to Ropelato.

Whiteclouds is working with organizations in the architecture, healthcare, design and entertainment industries to personalize products and expand 2D applications to 3D versions.  

In the entertainment industry, 3D printing allows for personalization of products to consumers, like putting faces in character costumes or creating one-of-a-kind products, pieces of artwork or small structures.

Healthcare applications of 3D-printed models, for example, can map the exact parts needed for a knee replacement saving time on the operating table and reducing costs of surgery. The 3D process creates models for surgery that replace a two-dimensional MRI scan. Three dimension printing allows surgeons to look at scale model replicas of hearts, brains, kidneys and other organs for more exact knowledge during surgery.

Governmental organizations are using 3D in programs for the blind to feel and understand objects. Large replicas of the sunken USS Arizona will be placed at the ship’s memorial at Pearl Harbor and other replicas will be given to survivors of the Japanese attack on the Hawaiian naval base.

  “We’re excited about what we’ve built in Utah in nearly three years and where we are going,” said Ropelato.

Going forward, Whiteclouds will focus on developing business-to-business sales and strategic partnerships, Ropelato said. In addition to its full-color services, the company also provides services for prototyping and end-use parts in a variety of materials.

To support its growth and expanded production capabilities, Whiteclouds has hired Joey Skinner as as its chief operating officer to oversee production and to develop processes that make the company as efficient as possible. 

“A major part of our offering is the capacity to deliver,” said Skinner. “We are the largest full-color 3D print services provider in the world. With this new building, we have the capacity to hold that prestigious title and to continue to grow that capacity in the future.”

Braden Ellis has been hired as chief revenue officer to manage partnerships and strategic alliances to create future growth and revenues. “Our goal is to be the hub for companies looking to expand their offerings through 3D printing,” said Ellis. “Nearly every industry can benefit from this technology and we are here to make that possible in a way that is cost effective and easy to implement.”

Founded in 2013, Whiteclouds uses advanced 3D printing technologies to create architectural models, prototypes, medical models, end-use parts and entertainment and video game models in over 200 different materials.