Our Story

Protoplant has a passion for making.

Making Protopasta. Making new. Making better. Making worse (oops). Making work what you weren't sure you could. Getting lost in the joy of making. Sharing how we make. Finding shared passion for making. Making hard decisions. Making more with less. Making it work.

A brief history

Building something new to meet an unknown need.

Exploring the extrusion process

Starting with a trusted lathe, a Haas VF3 machined screw, a sanding belt, a Harbor Freight dial indicator, a Raspberry Pi, some stepper motors, a stepperature, an upside down flower pot, a little luck, and a lot of trial and error; filament extrusion was made possible. With passion and persistence anything is possible!

Finding community support

With an extrusion process and 3 new materials for 3D Printing, Dustin and Aaron Cram took their tinkering to Kickstarter for support in 2013. 500 makers thought they were on to something and wanted to see what's possible. With help from Alex, they delivered on time with an exceptional result. Protopasta was born.

Expanding capabilities and material choice

Moving from flower pots and a Ras Pi or two, to the more professional, robust, and developed process we have now has been a journey. Since 2013, we've added specialized machinery for mixing, grown our team, and expanded our ingredients to make all the beautiful, high performance Protopasta filaments you love.

From passion and persistence comes expertise and excellence.

And we owe it all to you!

Thanks to the many makers and businesses who share and support our passion for 3D Printing.

 

Meet the leadership

Dustin Cram, P.E.

Founder and Professional Engineer

Dustin can whip up a physical prototype before a design discussion is done. He'd invent all the time if he didn't have to keep manufacturing and operations running (which he does quite well and we're very thankful for).

Alexander Dick

Co-founder and 3D Printing Veteran

3D Printing since 2004, materials, process, and people keep Alex busy. He enjoys development close to the consumer, and is driven to bring value and excellence to his customers. Filament has become his creative outlet.

Aaron Cram

Co-founder and Software Engineer

While not often in the office, Aaron always surprises us with new tools and techniques to improve Protopasta. His software runs the filament extruders, informs us of what needs making, and reminds us how to make it.