STEL provides professional services at every stage of product development including industrial design, engineering, prototyping, graphic design and branding strategy. Specializing in sporting goods design, outdoor adventure, medical devices and consumer electronics, STEL delivers solutions for a range of clientele including startups, entrepreneurs and Fortune 500 companies across multiple industry categories. Some of the projects STEL has designed include Apple iPhone and Android accessories, eyewear, biking equipment and protective wear, as well as soft goods including backpacks and footwear. To view more projects, visit www.steldesign.com.

Prior to partnering with 3Diligent, STEL had several 3D printers in house, but found that the task of prepping, running and servicing the printers was not the best use of the design consultancy’s resources.

Through the 3Diligent service, STEL is able to submit 3D Printing, machining, molding and casting requests for quote (RFQs) and receive bids from 3Diligent, leveraging its qualified network of rapid manufacturing providers with prosumer, professional, and industrial-grade rapid manufacturing machinery. STEL can then execute transactions through 3Diligent’s online platform, tracking the order through to delivery.

3Diligent has streamlined the 3D Printing prototyping process for STEL by consistently providing them quality parts, fast turnarounds, and market-driven competitive pricing that allowed STEL to focus on its product development expertise. Working with 3Diligent has allowed STEL to speed up the design process and prototype design changes.

“Big or small, simple or complex, prototypes are essential in validating designs before investing in high-volume manufacturing, but the cost and lead time of some of the other 3D printers we’ve worked with were not a fit for our customers,” said Ryan Olson, Co-Founder of STEL. “Not only does 3Diligent meet our customers’ budget and time needs, it has allowed us to focus on our job, which is designing the best products possible.”

“We are always pleased when a design firm of STEL’s caliber chooses us as its partner for 3D Printing and rapid manufacturing. In this rapidly growing market, there are so many options that can be the best solution depending on the application. At 3Diligent, we set out to provide companies a more efficient way to access the best technologies and materials on the market as their projects dictate,” said Cullen Hilkene, CEO of 3Diligent. “We’re pleased to be working with STEL and look forward to a successful partnership.”

For more information on 3Diligent’s free and premium Marketplace, or its 3Diligent Direct, which provides turnkey support for every step of the 3D Printing process from the request for quote (RFQ) all the way through delivery, visit http://www.3diligent.com.

About 3Diligent

The 3D Printing Partner for Every Business, 3Diligent launched in 2014 as a way to connect clients deterred by the cost of 3D printer ownership with carefully vetted vendors to enable rapid, high quality additive manufacturing at competitive prices. 3Diligent uses data science to connect customer requests for quotes with the right set of vendors to compete for the work, then facilitates the transaction, guaranteeing parts arrive on time and to spec. This allows customers to streamline their supplier base and also allows service providers to get more out of their capital investments. For more information, visit http://www.3Diligent.com/.