The Sanjay Mortimer RepRap Festival (SMRRF) is an annual event that celebrates the innovative and community-driven spirit of the 3D printing world. Named in honor of Sanjay Mortimer, a key contributor to the community, SMRRF highlights the latest advancements in 3D printing technology, featuring workshops, presentations, and exhibitors. Attendees at SMRRF can expect to see many different 3D printers, engage with creative designers and experts in the field, and gain insights into the future directions of this rapidly evolving technology.
This Guide Covers
What is SMRRF?
Sanjay Mortimer RepRap Festival
– About Sanjay Mortimer. Sanjay Mortimer, a founding member of E3D, was a legendary figure in the industry, significantly contributing to the revolution of FDM 3D printing.
Sanjay tragically passed away on the 27th of December 2021. This triggered a chain of charity events in the 3D printing community. In a couple of years, the Sanjay Mortimer Foundation (SMF) got officially registered, and The Sanjay Mortimer RepRap Festival (SMRRF) took place in Oxford, UK for the first time.
– About RepRap Festivals. RepRap was invented by Adrian Bowyer in February 2004. The word RepRap is short for Replicating Rapid-prototyper – a self-copying 3D printer. As 3D printers became more accessible, more people joined the community and started celebrating the movement by organizing similarly named events. In the US, such 3D printing events are very popular. In our events table, you can find previous festivals with featured highlights and future festival dates.
As usual, we will update this guide and bring more content from year to year. Here is our brief coverage of the first-ever SMRRF.
SMRRF 2023 Highlights
As I have visited many 3D printing trade shows before, in comparison, the biggest impression for me was the atmosphere. The SMRRF had such a friendly atmosphere that the festival felt like one big family. It was mind-blowing to see so many awesome creators and niche influencers in one place.
Clockwise: String Art by 3DPrintBunny
Dynamax Ball by Allie (Katz Creates)
Robot Dog by James Bruton
Replica of CocoaPress in Chocolate by ErinTheSmall
The image above is just a tiny part of all the creations that were on display at SMRRF. It is possible to see more creations by following the hashtags: #smrrf or #smrrf2023.
As writing and images are greatly limited in portraying what it feels like to be at SMRRF, I would recommend watching a short live stream by Alan and Mikoláš from Prusa 3D. It is impressive how they roam and feature creators and technology. It was also funny how Joel crashed their interview and highly praised Natalie 3DPrintBunny.
Death Racers by Sam Prentice
Apart from traditional fun – chatting with creators at their booths, Sam Prentice entertained the crowd with his Death Racers show. Death Racers are 3D printable robots that not just race but fight each other – obviously to the ‘death’. The atmosphere was very friendly, and Sam is a great showman. I still cannot believe how some of these robots managed to get to 3 rounds, as each round was total carnage, with robots losing their heads and other parts.
Photo: Max Funkner
SMF Auction – by Joel Telling
If the first SMF Auction took place in June 2022 and was live-streamed on Jumblebee, raising £32,618, then this year’s auction, led by Joel Telling, was organized directly in one of the SMRRF halls and raised £21,130. It was interesting to take part in such an auction as the items are unique, signed, and even awarded by original creators. My first attempt to bid for the Commemorative T-shirt by Print City didn’t work as the bidding queue jumped and I accidentally missed the bid. I will try better next time!
Photo: Max Funkner
Charity Stream by Grant from 3D Musketeers
Another charity stream event that generated more than $6000 via JustGiving was organized by Grant from 3D Musketeers. Namely, Grant offered to cut his hair during the livestream. It was super easy to participate in such an event by donating any amount. Grant became a celebrity of the SMRRF as so many people took selfies and group pictures with him.
– SMF. The Sanjay Mortimer Foundation (SMF) is a non-profit initiative to find and assist those with neurodivergent minds to realise their potential through the field of engineering. It is possible to donate at any time via the SMF Official Website.
– E3D. And on a final note, we must mention and thank the magnificent E3D team for all the effort they put into organizing such an awesome event!
Conclusion
It was pleasant to see that SMRRF was a success, and according to sources, the inaugural event generated approximately £55k in profits. The next event should take place next year. According to the organizers, 1,187 visitors attended the festival, and a significant amount of donations were made for a good cause. As I had never visited trade shows in such a format before, this was a remarkable experience.
