Mainebiz

V O L . X X X I N O. X X I V M A N U FA C T U R I N G / I N T E R N AT I O N A L T R A D E A s bright late afternoon melts into dusk at Higgins Beach in Scarborough, Mike Ballin is out surfing on a white translucent board with a honeycomb-like latticed core. ough the waves aren't at their most powerful, he gets in a few decent rides before sundown. "is board is a lot more fun when the waves get to be chest- to shoulder- high, because it's a pretty versatile board," he says after exiting the water. e next day in Portland where Ballin makes surf boards for a two- person startup called Blueprint Surf, a 3D printer encased in glass at Northeastern University's Roux Institute glides back and forth to stack hundreds of layers of recycled plastic filament into interconnected geometric shapes. Set to run around 24/7 for four days, the six-foot-long contraption emits a quiet hum that Ballin likens to white noise. He doesn't even need to be there, since he gets real-time updates on his phone from the $20,000 machine imported from Israel. Ballin finishes the boards in South Portland, where they get sanded, fitted with thin strips of poplar to help hold their shape and coated with bio-epoxy resin. Unlike plastic foam boards, Blueprint's are intended as an environ- mentally friendly alternative that gener- ates less waste. Ballin, who studied environmental science at Colby College, teamed with engineer Luke Diehl to start Blueprint in 2021. e startup is part of a new wave of Maine manufacturers leading the 3D printing niche into the main- stream — at least for low-volume pro- duction and prototyping. $20B market and growing e global 3D printing market, estimated at $20.4 billion in 2023 by GrandView Research, is projected to reach close to $90 billion by 2030, registering 24% in compound annual growth. North America is the largest mar- ket with more than a third of global revenue in 2023. Aggressive research and development is expected to drive growth in coming years, spurred by demand from indus- tries including health care, cars and aero- space and defense. The global 3D printing market, estimated at $20.4 billion in 2023 by GrandView Research, is projected to reach close to $90 billion by 2030 Mike Ballin, co-founder of Blueprint Surf, with a 3D-printed surfboard made from recycled plastic filament. This model, called the Sea Mink, sells for $900. O C T O B E R 2 0 , 2 0 2 5 14 F O C U S P H O T O / J I M N E U G E R B y R e n e e C o r d e s 3D printing sparks new manufacturing wave in Maine Third Third Di me nsion Di me nsion the C r e s t i n g

• Cover