Last Friday, I (Aran) had the chance to share some of my 25+ years of experience in design and manufacturing with a brilliant group of ten Irish businesses, all taking part in the DCCI/Trinity Accelerator Programme. This time, I was on the other side of the table and I was honoured to be invited by Trinity and Portal to lead a session on how small creative businesses can harness emerging technologies like 3D printing, CAD, and AI-generated modelling to streamline their processes and scale production, while staying rooted in their craft.
In preparing for the session I had a look back at some of my early work on the first consumer Sat-Navs and noise-cancelling devices and this really highlighted how far the tools have come. Today, AI can generate detailed 3D models from a simple sentence. For the session, I typed in: “An elegant bottle for a perfume called Kraken.” Within minutes, I had a model on my screen — and within hours using our own low cost 3D printer, a physical object in hand. That same process used to take weeks.
This prompted some strong opinions on the blurring lines between design, craft, and the definition of hand-made.
I also touched on the practical realities of adopting digital fabrication into the design and manufacturing process for small businesses, and how this feeds into the ability to adapt other techniques from high-volume production to benefit craft based industries. Drawing on our own experience designing, developing, and manufacturing products in-house with Outcrop and Pop Out Projects, I was able to show how these tools can empower even micro-enterprises to grow efficiently without compromising creativity or sustainability.
Having been part of the first run of the accelerator ourselves, I know what a transformative exit can be. It was a real privilege to return and contribute to such a motivated, sustainability-focused group. We’re excited to follow their progress and see what amazing things come from it.
Maeve and I know the impact the accelerator can have, as we were part of the pilot run just last year, so it was a real privilege to be able to return and contribute this time round. It was really inspiring to see so many founders already building sustainability into the core principles of their businesses.
We’re excited to follow their progress and see what amazing things come from it.
