A leap of faith
Employees of Bond3D: Ton
Meet Ton Koster
Senior Process Engineer
In 2018, he was ready for a new challenge. After more than 20 years of experience in R&D at various start-up companies, he decided to take a leap of faith and start working in a different field. Ton, who recently turned 50, works with his colleagues on the process development for the 3D printers of Bond3D: the bridge between software, hardware and custom parts.
An exciting step
Up until 2018, Ton worked for several start-ups, but always more or less in the same field. “I decided that if I wanted to do something truly different, now was the time. It was exciting to take the step, but already during the job interview both parties thought: “this is a good match.” Now, a few years later, I am happy I took the ‘leap of faith’.”
The bridge between software, hardware and production
Together with the process team, Ton forms the bridge between software, hardware, and objects’ production for customers. The process team makes the recipes for the machines. “For example, we look at what the requirements should be for the software and hardware, how best to convert a 3D model into a series of ‘lines’ that can be printed and how all ‘buttons’ should be in the machine to achieve the best result.”
No week is the same
“I never know exactly what my week will bring. Of course, there are fixed elements, such as deliberations to keep each other informed and to discuss good solutions to problems. But which exact challenge will occupy my week is often a surprise. This is the beauty of a start-up and new techniques: you don’t know what you’re going to encounter beforehand. We have a close and creative team and the atmosphere and cooperation are great. I am energised by the way we motivate and inspire each other to come up with and implement solutions to challenges.”
The future
Ton has never been the type to plot a career path and has always done what he wanted to do. And right now that mission is clear: “To continue building Bond3D.”