Category Archives: News
3DLT Launches at TechCrunch Disrupt After Challenging Past
3DLT Launches 3D Printing Marketplace
3DLT, a 3D printing marketplace that was accused of stealing designs and subsequently issued a mea culpa, has rebounded and officially launched. Wearing a tuxedo, founder and CEO Pablo Arellano, Jr. pitched on stage during the battlefield round at TechCrunch Disrupt in New York.
3DLT describes itself as a marketplace where industrial designers, companies, and makers can sell 3D printable designs, direct to consumers.
“The 3D printing market needs a retail marketplace where consumers can buy print-ready designs,” said 3DLT’s Founder and CEO, Pablo Arellano, Jr. “With all of the interest in 3D printing, and the sheer number of 3D printers being sold, there will soon be a huge demand for content, and that’s what 3DLT provides.”
Lux Research predicts 3D printing will be an $8.4 billion industry by 2025, up from under $1 billion in 2012. Research firm Gartner believes that enterprise-class printers priced below $2,000 will be available in the market from as early as 2016, and some low-end printers, including the MakiBox, are already available for less than $200.
3DLT provides files – the blueprints for 3D printable products. Consumers can visit 3DLT.com and browse through multiple, well-curated categories of 3D printable designs. Once purchased, they can download and print-ready files on their own 3D printer. They can also send the designs they buy to 3DLT’s network of 3D print shops for local pickup or drop shipment directly to their door.
3DLT’s business model has the potential to change the way we shop,” Mr. Arellano said. Walmart made shopping easier by putting millions of products, all under one roof, closer to the consumer. Amazon took the next step of delivering to your doorstep. 3DLT goes even further by allowing you to choose, when, where, and how the items you buy are manufactured.”
Watch Arellano pitch at TechCrunch Disrupt in the video below.
Top 3D Printing News Last Week: Cheap 3D Printers, iMakr Store, More
3D Printing News
A roundup of the top 3D printing news from May 1 to May 4:
Wednesday, May 1
Friday, May 3
Saturday, May 4
Video: iMakr 3D Printing Store Grand Opening in London
iMakr 3D Printing Store
In the video below, the iMakr 3D printing store opens in London. With 2,500 square feet of 3D printers and 3D printing fun, there was quite a crowd to see the grand opening.
Exhibits from Solidoodle, UP!, MakerBot, Cubify, Leapfrog and all the big names of desktop 3D printing were on site, plus models from 3D artists.
Here is the official press release from Solidoodle about the retail debut:
Solidoodle Makes Retail Debut at World’s Largest 3D Printer Store in UK
Brooklyn, NY — April 30, 2013 — Solidoodle, maker of the most affordable fully assembled 3D printers, is proud to announce its printers will be sold at iMakr, the world’s largest 3D printing retail store, located at 79 Clerkenwell Road in Central London.
iMakr announced its 3D printer lineup to include the Solidoodle 3rd Generation model at its grand opening event today. Solidoodle CEO Sam Cervantes was in attendance for the opening.
“3D printers are a rapidly expanding segment in the consumer electronics market,” says Cervantes. “iMakr is making a big splash in a major international city and we are glad to be a part of it. Working with distributor and retail partners will definitely help us satisfy the growing demand we’re seeing from the international public.”
Located in Farringdon, the heart of the designer district of London, iMakr is featuring some of the most popular brands of 3D printers, supplies and accessories and will cater to the needs of designers, architects, early adopters, hobbyists, jewelers and schools.
Solidoodle also announced, in late February, its plans for dedicated Solidoodle retail locations in Eastern Europe to open later this year.
Image via SolidSmack.
$200 MakiBox 3D Printer Competes at the Low End Market
$200 MakiBox 3D Printer is the Cheapest on the Market
The MakiBox 3D printer is the creation of 37-year-old Jon Buford, founder of Hong Kong-based startup Makible. Buford launched the company with $50,000 in seed funding and a round of pre-orders from a crowdfunding campaign. Makible’s 2013 goal is to hit $2 to $3 million in revenue.
Targeting Cost over Scale
MakiBox is attacking the low end of the market. While leading desktop 3D printers from MakerBot and 3D Systems range from $1,700 to $2,200, there has been a price war at the low end among dozens of Kickstarter projects and RepRap innovations. Makible is possibly the lowest priced 3D printer in the market.
To reduce the cost, the MakiBox is a smaller 3D printer. But it can still print objects as large as 14 iPhone 5s stacked in two columns.
A Visit to Makible in Hong Kong
Our friends at Hack Things are traveling in China this week, and paid a visit to the team building the MakiBox, a $200 3D printer.
Yesterday we dropped in on Elliot and Jon of Makible at their lab in Kwai Hing, Hong Kong, where a team is hard at work making what will likely be the world’s most affordable 3D Printer, the MakiBox. It will launch later this year for just $200 (as a kit).
Why does price matter? To get an idea of cost, at the moment Shapeways charges roughly $3 per cubic centimeter when the plastic itself costs less than $0.05. It wouldn’t take much printing before the Makibox pays itself off. However when you factor in shipping and turnaround time, you see the real advantage of having a desktop printer nearby. Not only that, but low cost itself enables new applications and markets such as in education and makes small batch production more affordable (e.g. it’s more practical to run a farm of 3D printers if the fixed costs are low.)
The video below shows a profile of Buford and Makible.
CC Image by cloneofsnake
Top 3D Printing News Last Week: 3D Printing Conference, GE, MakerBot
3D Printing News
A roundup of the top 3D printing news from April 22 to April 28:
(Note: last week we attended the Inside 3D Printing conference in NYC)
Monday, April 22
- 3D Printing’s Apple 1 Moment: 3D Printing Conference (Part 1)
- Keynote Declares “Complexity is Free”: 3D Printing Conference (Part 2)
- 3D Systems: Geomagic Design to Advance CAD and 3D Printing
- Invest in Bioprinting to Get a 3D Printed Ear or New Hip: 3D Printing Conference (Part 3)
- Demo Exhibits Open-Source Complexity: 3D Printing Conference (Part 4)
Tuesday, April 23
- Inside 3D Printing Conference: Day 1 Top Stories
- Topology Optimization in Additive Manufacturing: 3D Printing Conference (Part 5)
- Shapeways Funding: $30 Million from Andreessen Horowitz, Chris Dixon to Join Board
- Sculpteo Cloud 3D Printing, iPhone Cases, and More – 3D Printing Conference (Part 6)
- 3D Printing in K-12 Education: Virginia Leads the Way – 3D Printing Conference (Part 7)
- Shapeways CEO: Become a Creator of the Products You Care About – 3D Printing Conference (Part 8)
Wednesday, April 24
Thursday, April 25
Saturday, April 27
Sunday, April 28
