So first there was the online creation of pretty simple items like business cards and T-shirts - businesses which cut out the old middle-man way of doings things. Soon there will be a way to create and “print” objects in 3D on a mass scale, and the first of these is starting to arrive. Netherlands-based Shapeways is launching a private beta of a community for consumers wanting to create real objects. Eventually you’ll be able to share and co-create online as well.
Imagine you wanted to create a 3D dummy of a new type of Web tablet. You just upload the design from some CAD software onto the site. Shapeways checks whether the object can be made and provides a real-time cost estimate. Within 10 working days, a tangible 3D product is produced and shipped globally. At the moment they only print to four kinds of plastics but other materials, like metal, are planned.
To reproduce something that already exists you’d need a 3D scanner, which costs thousands. So Shapeways is actually aimed at people with 3D CAD software used by small businesses and will eventually offer its own online CAD tools. The site uses 3D industry standard file formats (STL, Collada, X3D) and the average cost of objects is $50 - $150. At the moment it looks like they are limited to desktop-sized pieces, but perhaps we’ll one day see Star-Trek-style printing of bigger objects.
Shapeways is a spin-out startup from an incubator programme at Philips Electronics, in Eindhoven. The CEO is Peter Weijmarshausen, formerly of 3Dsoftware package Blender, and he has a team of 10 people. They plan to be out of private beta in a couple of months.
Update: Notionally they compete with US-based Ponoko, which allows people to mass customise and make bracelets, brooches, earrings etc and items like wooden coasters. But Shapeways looks capabale of more complex modelling.
TechCrunch readers can sign up for 500 beta invites here using the Beta Code: “TechCrunch100″.
(Photo Credit: “Petunia” 3D object designed by Dolf J. Veenvliet, Shapeways Community Member)
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another step towards mass customization…
future is now…
or personalised production.
Mike, what about Ponoko?
They have been doing this for a while now and featured on TC a few times. You didn’t even include a link to them in CrunchBase!
It seems someone is paying attention, LOL
Ponoko is a place where you can buy or sell jewlery, don’t get me wrong, it’s a great site. But, Shapeways allows you to design, produce and customize any 3D object. It’s a different business.
So do you guys believe in personalised production? or will everything continue to be mass produced?
Umm yeah, its called rapid prototyping … its been covered in many quality publications like Wired. You might want to have a look at something called ‘reprap’ to understand where the future is at.
Absolutely, there is nothing new here. It’s just rapid prototyping.
I don’t really see any attraction here for the average consumer. On the other side, small design companies will require much more advanced services.
Producing a polymeric model is not a big deal (3D printers are getting really cheap to buy and operate).
The difficult part is finishing, which requires either A LOT of handcrafting or VERY expensive hardware.
A maquette for the TechCrunch Internet Tablet would be easily done with LD polyurethane, hand crafted and finished. Or with wood.
Finishing a 3D print will require a lot of sanding and numerous layers of paint to achieve a good effect.
I was thinking the same thing. I did this in Industrial Engineering minor classes and the technology was fairly old. Small businesses have always had local businesses that will 3D prototype anything they wish that has been designed with the proper software. I’m not sure this would take off because you know the average consumer doesn’t just crack open solid works and start cranking out their new invention.
The nice thing about Shapeways though is that it gives options for very fine materials, down to .5mm in detail for printing jobs, this reduces time and effort needed to smooth out the object to make it look nice.
Wow! I’m impressed!
Coolio!! I want one…
What is new and attractive is that we offer a combination of
- Affordable prices
- A wide choice in materials
- Inspiring community
kind regards,
Peter
How about IP? Can you register one’s creation?
How about colouring the designed objects is this already possible or will it be in the near future.. I am very curious (love the concept)
I think the idea behind a 3D-design-community of is brilliant. Especially when the technology is moving rapidly. This means learning from each other will become important, a community can provide this.
Also, it means that we can literally build upon each other’s work.
A slightly non-average woman with graying hair says, “OMG OMG my SL creations OMG … I could create RL.”
Ya’ll figure out the translation … might not be average consumer interest … might be wave of the future average consumer interest … hide in the bushes and watch.
Enjoy have fun
It will be interesting to see is how this service is utilized. Can they become the VistaPrint of 3D Printing and dominate prototype work coming our of R&D Labs? Or could they make a business serving the deviantart 3D community?
It seems like the biggest challenge in going after a consumer segment is the skill base with 3D CAD. It is fairly dificult to master relative to 2D programs. Even looking at Ponoko, the quality of work is highly uneven. It does require a lot of skill to create 3D objects and I wonder if they can provide enough tools to facilitate that.
Also, the points about finishing are key. We have a 3D printer in our office and the biggest time sink by far is sanding and painting. In any case, very cool idea good luck to them.
Another site operating in the US with many different materials and capabilities: eMachine Shop
http://www.emachineshop.com/
The only thing new here is that this site is aimed at the home brew and craft market and not at engineering professionals. This is not a criticism, it’s a good thing that someone is making this technology more accessible to the mass market. But, there is nothing revolutionary about the technology.
As a mechanical engineer, I order rapid prototypes almost on a weekly basis from sites like http://www.approto.com and http://www.quickparts.com. These technologies have been widely available for almost 20 years and easily available on the web for 10 years.
The materials and prices shown on the site are the same that any other rapid prototyper offers (although most have a minimum order of around $250).
looks awesome!
Shapeways is one of many different 3D print services, all of which try to address a different niche. Some specialize in figurines, architectural models, jewelry, and some provide hard-core .STL printing for arbitrary designs. Some are dead-easy for use by newbies, and others require professional training and software to use them.
It’s a burgeoning market that we cover daily on our 3D Printing and Digital Fabrication blog: http://fabbaloo.com. We report on 3D devices, services and especially unusual uses of this really interesting technology.
There are a few guys out there trying to do this but the sales model doesn’t work well. The costs are too high to mass market it. The best one so far is http://www.figureprints.com/ It is run by an ex Microsoft big shot with lots of money and they still can’t turn a profit.
Here is another one http://www.landprint.com/ - custom 3D terrain models using Z Corp technology. And another one http://www.jujups.com/ - custom picture frames using Z Corp technology.
Yes, I can finally design that custom dildo I’ve always wanted to make, but never had the insta-3d object website to pull it off. Hello baseball on one end.
Also take a look at fabidoo ( http://www.fabidoo.com ) who offer 3D printing for the masses. They have nice community features like weeky design contests, a simple to use editor and high quality 3D-printouts.
Cheers marc