From left to right: Cameron and Mitchell Barnes (both RYSE 3D) celebrate the King’s Award with Tim Cox (Lord Lieutenant of Warwickshire), grandparents May and John and Mum CorinaOne of the UK’s leading disruptors in the additive manufacturing (AM) sector has celebrated its best-ever year in style by being presented with its King’s Award for Innovation.
RYSE 3D, in Shipston-on-Stour, the brainchild of 28-year-old entrepreneur Mitchell Barnes, has seen sales increase by 58% over the last 12 months as its ability to turnround 3-D printing production parts extremely quickly has seen it race towards a near £5 million turnover.
The company has also created 10 new jobs, added new export markets and launched LANDR 500, a large-format FDM printer that is designed and built in the UK. Tim Cox, Lord Lieutenant of Warwickshire, was welcomed to RYSE 3D’s ‘state of the factory’ as part of the King’s Award celebrations for its 24-strong workforce, suppliers and customers.
Mitchell Barnes, founder of RYSE 3D, said: “For a company of our size to be recognised at this stage is tremendous and it is all down to the courage, commitment and hard work of our staff — this event was to say a big thank you to them. The profile of the King’s Award is like no other and we have seen huge interest from new and existing clients in the USA, as well as from potential customers in sectors we never thought would be suited to AM. Our 3-D printed moulds - that allow UK manufactures to compete with low cost overseas operators - was the reason we won the prestigious title, but that is just the first part of our story.”
Modern-day industrial success storyRYSE 3D has evolved from a start-up in Mitchell’s Mum’s garage to a modern-day industrial success story, supplying 23 hypercar projects with components destined for HVAC units, brake ducts and wing mirror vision systems. Automotive is just one sector that is benefitting from the company’s technical expertise and bank of more than 100 3-D printers at its manufacturing hub in Warwickshire. Aerospace, medical, renewables and even pest control specialists have been quick to engage to find new ways to build components and products more efficiently, sustainably and cost effectively.
Mitchell, who is joined in the business by Dhilon Sudra, added: “Innovation is what we are all about and this was reflected in the launch of LANDR 500 earlier this year. We needed a new large format printer, but this was going to set us back £150,000 which, at the time, wasn’t possible. So instead, we decided to design, build and put in place our own version that features an expansive 500 x 500 x 500mm build volume and gives customers the power and speed to build larger and more complex parts.
“This was a ‘Eureka moment’. We created technology that was a fraction of the cost, a third of the weight and half the footprint of more established models, yet under extensive testing more than matched them in performance. Keeping innovation as part of our DNA is what sets us apart from much larger rivals and something we are looking to capitalise on in 2025.”
Mitchell took this powerful message to No 10 Downing Street earlier this month when he was invited by the Prime Minister to be part of a small business leaders’ breakfast. He said: “My message was simple — invest in UK manufacturing, give growth companies access to finance and ensure we anchor more technology at home, commercialising it for our benefit and nobody else’s.”