Working at Shapeways is very fruitful at a personal level

“I was born and raised in São Paulo in Brazil,“ Lucas says. “I am actually more Italian than Brazilian but me and my parents were born there. While I was studying mathematics, I also worked for a customer research company but I did not really feel that I wanted to follow that path. Instead I wanted to dedicate some time to my creative side.”

Studied Industrial Design in Barcelona

“I then decided to travel and take some time to think about what I wanted to do next. During my travelling, I decided to visit friends in Barcelona. In Barcelona I started working as a waiter and I decided to start another bachelor study there in Industrial Design.”

Discovered Eindhoven because of ex-girlfriend

“After I had finished studying, I started my own business in designing bicycles and bicycle parts. In 2015, I came to Eindhoven as my now ex-girlfriend decided to start a study here. At that moment I had already lived in Barcelona for ten years.”

Barcelona felt like concrete jungle

“Moreover, it is hard being self-employed in Spain. In the Netherlands, you have to pay a lot of taxes but being an entrepreneur here is easier. That is why I decided to start my company making customized bicycles and parts in Eindhoven.”

3D printing really appealing technology

“When I was settling in the Netherlands someone introduced me to Shapeways, a 3D printing company. I found the company’s culture and what the company does really appealing. Moreover, I find the technology very interesting. I got to know it in the context of prototyping. It is a great technique to make things visual. It is a bit expensive but it allows you to print unique objects and customized parts.”

Working at Shapeways is very fruitful

“I have already been working for Shapeways for almost three years. When I started here, I never thought that I would still be here after such a long time but to me working here is very fruitful. I keep on learning new things and I am constantly developing myself. I am learning skills that are very useful. Moreover, I enjoy social contacts. Working here is very fruitful to me at a personal level.”

Specialisation to really get to know the machine

“The company has changed a bit over the past few years. When I came here everyone had the same position as 3D printing engineer and everyone was running the entire printing process. Now as a Service Engineer you work on specific processes running the machines. By specializing we can really learn a lot and we are able to really get to know each machine individually. The machine I currently work on uses photo curable resin for making high definition parts. With capacity of building till 16 microns layers, we normally print small parts like action figures and miniatures.

Lots of challenges and international environment

“What I like most about working at Shapeways are the many challenges that you face. Each machine has its own characteristics and challenges. When you have solved one issue you encounter the next. I keep thinking of solutions to these challenges even when I am at home. Furthermore, it is a really young environment. If you have an idea people here listen to it. I get a lot of pleasure from that. It is also very international. English is the main language that is spoken here.”

Really rewarding to see happy colleagues and happy customers

“In the end, I would eventually like to work on my bicycle business full time but on the other hand I am eager to learn and at Shapeways I am really growing as a person. Moreover, I love bicycles but they are my hobby and I would also like it to remain to be a hobby. When it would feel like work then it would be a pity. I want to keep on getting pleasure out of what I do. I like it when customers are happy with my work or when my work is valued by the department and my superiors. I feel that is really rewarding.”

Everyone here wants to help you

“One thing I like about the Netherlands is that I can go everywhere. It is very centrally located. On weekends it is easy to take city trips. Eindhoven Airport is just around the corner. Schiphol offers a direct flight to São Paulo. I also feel a lot more welcome in the Netherlands than I felt in Spain. The Dutch have built their country by building relations with other countries. That is their heritage and that is something that is strongly embedded in Dutch culture. Everyone just wants to help you here because they feel that helping you, in the end, is good for everyone.”

You can learn a lot from a different culture

“I think the main difference between Brazil and the Netherlands is that everything is really easy here. The Dutch work in a very structured way. This means that you can really focus on your work. My advice is don’t be afraid to try working abroad, you can really learn a lot from a different culture.”