About
- 10+years in additive manufacturing
- no bordersI work anywhere in the world
- hundredsof companies 3D Republika has worked with
- 6consulting services
- 1free tool: the SLM DFAM Checker
Summary
I am Rare Svetozar Kolesar, Independent Consultant in Additive Manufacturing based in Belgrade. I help industrial companies decide whether, where and how 3D printing makes sense in their production, and then put that decision into practice.
For ten years I built the additive manufacturing market in the Western Balkans through 3D Republika, the company I founded in 2016 and still co-own. As a consultant I do not sell equipment or take part in sales, so that my advice stays independent of any brand or machine.
How it started
December 2015. I enter the world of 3D printing.
February 2016. I buy my first Ultimaker.
June 2016. I start a company. July 2016. I show up at a trade fair with four printers and one scanner, all bought with borrowed money.
At that moment, the additive manufacturing market in the Western Balkans practically does not exist. Over the next ten years I build it, step by step, in Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Montenegro, where my supplier contracts limited me territorially. As a consultant I no longer have that limit.
| Year | What happened |
|---|---|
| 2015 | I enter 3D printing |
| 2016 | first Ultimaker, I found 3D Republika, first trade fair with borrowed equipment |
| 2016 to today | 3D Republika works with hundreds of companies and with almost every technical faculty and institute in the region |
| today | 3D Republika is the leading additive manufacturing distributor in Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Montenegro. As a consultant I work without territorial limits, anywhere in the world. |
Why I stepped out as a consultant
I ran the company through everything, from the smallest jobs to contracts worth hundreds of thousands of euros. I went through a period one step from bankruptcy, through the pandemic, through a war that closed one direction of the market and opened a completely different one in military production. I learned more about how additive manufacturing actually works in factories than I could have learned from any report.
But ownership in a distribution company carries an interest, selling specific equipment and specific brands. When someone asks for advice, that advice needs to be free of that.
That is why I no longer take part in equipment sales at 3D Republika. I kept my equity, but I am not involved in that side of the business or in day to day operations, precisely to preserve independence when I advise. What that means in practice is described in what vendor neutral means in machine selection.
What I do as Rare Kolesar
I work with industrial companies in machine building, automotive, electronics, food and beverage, automation and defense, on the question of whether and how additive manufacturing should enter their process.
| What I do | What the client gets |
|---|---|
| Cost assessment | real cost per part, break even limit and payback |
| Equipment evaluation | a recommendation from analysis, not tied to one manufacturer |
| Implementation and process qualification | a process that keeps working after I leave, with people who run it |
| Training | knowledge inside the company, on your equipment and your parts |
| Custom software | tools fitted to how your company works |
| Strategic advisory | a lasting partner for spreading 3D printing through the company |
| SLM DFAM Checker | a free geometry check of a metal part before printing |
That means factory visits, demonstrations, technical webinars and concrete numbers, without any pressure to end up buying one particular machine or brand.
I am a systems engineer by education. I have been programming since I was twelve, so I build some analysis tools, such as the SLM DFAM Checker, myself.
I have worked with
- IGM Mladost
- 3Lateral / Epic Games Novi Sad
- Faculty of Technical Sciences Novi Sad
- Aumovio Serbia
- Grundfos Serbia
What we did and with what result is described in the case studies.
Talks and roles
| When | Where | Role |
|---|---|---|
| autumn conference of the Automotive and Mobility Cluster of Serbia, Silver Lake, Serbia | moderator of the panel on additive manufacturing in the automotive industry | |
| BIOMEDIX, Technical University of Cluj-Napoca, Romania | talk and exhibition stand on additive manufacturing in biomedicine | |
| meeting of the MAE (Moving Towards AErospace) project, Interreg Europe, Vigo, Spain | member of the Automotive and Mobility Cluster of Serbia delegation |
I am a member of the Automotive and Mobility Cluster of Serbia, where I follow how global supply chains are shifting, and where in those shifts additive manufacturing really has a place and where it is just a trend.
A conversation about the early days
I talked about the early days of 3D printing in the region as a guest on 011podkast.
Pionir 3D štampe u regionu, 011podkast (in Serbian)
What I have learned to look for
That technology on its own solves nothing. What solves problems is a combination of three things: good business connections, real knowledge, and the discipline to turn down projects and solutions that do not fit, in time.
That most mistakes in this industry are not a bad machine, but a bad decision about why that machine was bought at all. The most common mistakes are described in why 90 percent of companies introduce 3D printing the wrong way.
That the region still has to find the right place for additive manufacturing in industry, and that this needs advice that does not come from someone who sells. What that looks like from the inside is in the real state of additive manufacturing in the region.
Frequently asked questions
Do you sell equipment or materials?
No. As a consultant I do not sell equipment, materials or software, and I take no commission from manufacturers. I hold equity in 3D Republika, but I do not take part in sales.
What is your relationship with 3D Republika?
I founded it in 2016 and I am a co-owner. I am not involved in day to day operations or in equipment sales. When another supplier’s equipment is better for the client, that is my recommendation.
Which industries do you work with?
Most often machine building, automotive, electronics, food and beverage, automation and defense.
Where do you work?
From Belgrade, without territorial limits, anywhere in the world. I do analysis and advisory remotely too, and visit factories when needed, in Serbian and English.
How does a collaboration start?
By applying for a production analysis. It shows whether 3D printing makes sense at all, and only then do we talk about technology and equipment.
Do you work with small companies?
Yes. Company size is not what matters. What matters is a concrete part or process where additive manufacturing can bring a measurable benefit.
Do you give talks and take part in panels?
Yes. For talks, panels and media, write to me through contact.