3D Print Technology Pioneer Samantha Snabes and the Makings of re:3D

Samantha Snabes is an innovator, creator, and social entrepreneur, as well as an officer in the Mississippi Air National Guard. She stands out as the only woman CEO leading a U.S.-based 3D printing hardware manufacturing company with in-house fabrication. Her company, re:3D, headquartered in Austin, Texas, with additional locations in Houston and San Juan, Puerto Rico, has spent the last decade redefining the potential of 3D printing.

Since its founding in 2013, re:3D® has developed and introduced the Gigabot®, an advanced line of quality, affordable industrial 3D printers that are adaptable to new markets, incorporate sustainable technology, transcend traditional operating environments, and maximize the impact to organizations making a different around the globe.

Thanks to support from SBA Small Business Innovation Research (SIBR) awards and the help of her local SBA District Office, re:3D pioneered the Gigabot with an environmentally sustainable process that enables 3D printing directly from plastic waste pellets and flakes. Promoting technology originally developed through a NASA award for use in space, SBIR awards support scientific technology that may have commercial applications as well.

Through two additional SBIR awards, re:3D produced a containerized version of its Gigalab printer for commercial use. This portable version of its 3D printer is designed to use a generator or off-grid energy power. Making the product available to consumers allows anyone, anytime, anywhere to create an on-demand factory. The applications for this capability are especially vital in disaster recovery areas or emergency scenarios where utilities and traditional resources may be temporarily inaccessible or overwhelmed.

For example, during the COVID pandemic, Snabes’ company pivoted to prototype lifesaving devices for healthcare providers, joined with local communities to 3D print and donate face shields for hospitals, made ventilators for NASA, and created a program to provide no-cost personal protective equipment to the most at-risk businesses trying to reopen in minority areas.

Empowering local changemakers through its Gigaprize program, re:3D donates a 3D printer to a group dedicated to making a difference identified through a crowdsourced, judged competition for every 100 Gigabot printers purchased.

With three U.S. offices, re:3D sites are hubs for 3D printing education and community engagement. Committed to supporting entrepreneurship and empowering others, re:3D contributes thousands of hours annually through factory tours, workshops, mentorship, and educational opportunities to teach others about 3D printing and small business ownership.

As the recipient of multiple SBIR and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) awards that resulted in the global commercialization of products, Snabes would someday like to mentor others who want to learn more about entrepreneurship and opportunities for small business growth.

In 2024, re:3D was named the SBA Houston District Innovation Recipient (SBIR/STTR) of the Year. This award recognizes companies with three years of business experience that have previously received an SBIR or STTR award. The re:3D team has earned this honor through resourcefulness, grit, and resilience. In the male-dominated technology sector, Snabes has proven herself to be a forward-thinking changemaker and innovative entrepreneur who impacts progress on a global scale.