Following the joint partnership between Ricoh Malaysia and MakerBot, the printing industry giants have kicked off the year by announcing the ‘Imagine 3D’ Contest, in conjunction with the launch of its new MakerBot 3D printers.

Designed to educate, innovate and inspire, the contest themed ‘Imagine Functionality: The Perfect Office Aid’, will have participants imagine, innovate and design their version of the ideal office aid that will bring change to the workplace, making it more efficient and conducive.

Commenting on the ideation of the ‘Imagine 3D’ Contest, Peter Wee, Chief Operating Officer of Ricoh (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd said, “In life, we are fuelled by a spark of inspiration to make a change, but are often held back by limited resources. Today, with the 3D technology and tools that we can offer, we can make the change we hope to pursue in our workplace with ease, turning our ideas into reality. As such, we believe it is timely for us to extend an invitation to all Malaysians to jointly challenge their imagination and creativity, to Imagine. Change. and create an innovative office aid that will transform our day-to-day life at work, rendering it optimum and effective.”

“As the total office and business solutions provider, we saw an opportunity to create a platform to educate and inspire talents – a stepping stone to grant them the exposure to challenge imagination, allowing creativity to stretch beyond boundaries, maximising potential. Together with the MakerBot Replicator, we really have no boundaries in achieving our dreams,” added Mr. Wee.

With 3D prints powered by the global leader in desktop 3D printing for this contest, the MakerBot Replicator Mini and MakerBot Replicator are both state-of-the-art inventions that will revolutionise the local creative industry in the years to come, defining ease of use, quality, and reliability to produce a wide range of forms, colours as well as textures with incredible customisation.

The advancement of 3D printers has undeniably grown by leaps and bounds in the last decade, generating a movement in the business world with its avant-garde technology, creating the unimaginable, whether it may be for the architectural, design, engineering or manufacturing fields.

“The idea to ‘do-it-yourself’ is now becoming a burgeoning trend catalysed by the rise of 3D print technology. With the rapid production of prototypes, a shorter lead time and the ability to produce ideas with no minimum order quantity, everyone can be a designer or a creator of their own ideas. We are honoured to be able to further complement this development on a local front with the printers from MakerBot, as we strive towards creating a future office that revolutionises the printing industry,” shared Mr. Wee.

The free-to-enter 3D contest is open to anyone above the age of 21 and can be categorised into two groups:

• Corporate Category: Individuals or teams representing a company, agency, architecture firms, SMEs, etc.

• Individual Category: Hobbyists, product designers, industrial designers, free-lancers, students.

(NOTE: Contest terms and conditions apply)

The winner for the Corporate Category will take home a Ricoh e-store voucher, RM2,000 cash prize and a brand new 3D MakerBot Replicator Mini (worth RM 4,999) for their company, while the grand winner for the Individual Category will walk away with a RM2,000 cash prize.

The Top 10 submissions from each category will automatically enter the bonus Facebook category, and stand a chance to win the ‘The People’s Choice 3D Design Award’, where the most Facebook “likes” garnered for the submissions in 24 hours will be awarded. The flash voting period will be held on 10 March 2015 on the Ricoh Malaysia Facebook site.

The Top 10 submissions from each category will be brought to life with the MakerBot printers and showcased live at the contest finale on 20 March 2015.

3D industry experts from iMakerzone will also be providing exclusive 3D design workshops throughout the contest period to participants, with the aim to refine skills and inspire ideas on how best one can design a 3D product.

Registrations are now open for the ‘Imagine 3D’ Contest. To register or enquire more about the contest as well as its participating terms and conditions, please visit https://www.facebook.com/RicohMalaysiaOfficial or call 1-300-88-8228. Contest and submissions for 3D designs will close on Sunday, 8 March 2015 (11:59pm).