BotFactory

The Team:

Nicolas Vansnick and Carlos Ospina

The Story:

At the heart of many electronic devices is the printed circuit board (PCB), but for years electrical engineers, students, and tinkerers required manufacturers to print PCBs, resulting in higher costs and longer wait time. Inspired by their experience in a course at Tandon, where many students failed a project due to PCB manufacturer delays, the co-founders of BotFactory, Nico Vansnick and Carlos Ospina, developed Squink — a desktop circuit board printer reminiscent of a 3D printer that functions as a mini PCB factory, efficiently printing and assembling custom circuit boards. 

After placing third at the 2013 InnoVention competition and participating in the Summer Launchpad, BotFactory maintained residence at the Tandon Digital Future Lab before expanding its business with numerous grants and seed funding, including $1.3 million from New York Angels.

They soon expanded their product line to include a more advanced model, the SV2, which has since undergone several updates and improvements; BotFactory printers can be found now at more than 750 research facilities, schools, and major companies, including MIT, Apple, Amazon, and Sandia National Laboratories. 

Recently, the company (now helmed by Ospina as CEO, while Vansnick holds a seat on the Board of Directors), received a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant of $1.25 million, which they’ll use to address the specific needs of the U.S. Air Force for the additive manufacturing of electronics. 

“We’re proud to be contributing to our national defense,” the team says, “and equally proud to say that our printers are manufactured in the U.S., right in Long Island City.” 

Another reason for BotFactory Pride: the company maintains a thriving internship program that gives STEM majors from several New York schools, including NYU and CUNY, valuable industry experience. 

The team recently attended the annual conference of the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department Head Association (ECEDHA) – an event aimed at fostering advances in electrical and computer engineering education and exchanging ideas – and their demonstration of the SV2 drew significant attention.

“BotFactory was born at Tandon, and we’re still deeply involved with the school and academia in general,” the team explains. “In fact, Industry Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering Mike Knox, who mentored Nico and Carlos, remains on our Board, and our chief operating officer, George Kyriakou, earned his doctoral degree at Tandon.”

But whether they’re educators bringing the latest technology into the classroom, researchers pursuing groundbreaking projects, or industry professionals seeking a secure, efficient way to meet their PCB needs, BotFactory is ready to help. 

Ospina describes what’s next for the company, its clients, and the world:

“At BotFactory, we envision a future transformed by additive manufacturing. We see a world where electronics, especially PCBs, are no longer forged in harsh chemical baths, but sculpted with precision using sustainable, on-demand 3D printing,” he says. “Imagine a future where

clean water flows freely, since we’re helping save thousands of tons of pristine water from the toxic grip of traditional PCB fabrication; innovation is ignited as labs around the globe become vibrant hubs of rapid development now that gone are the days of waiting weeks for prototypes and entirely new applications can be born overnight; the shackles of distance are broken, with groundbreaking ideas no longer depending on faraway factories; and the power to create lies within reach, even in under-developed communities. This is the future BotFactory is building – where sustainable creation and boundless innovation empower a world of limitless potential.”