Once promising, the inexpensive MaxiBOX personal 3D printer seems to be no more.
Corporate
Zortrax Goes Retail
Poland-based 3D printer manufacturer Zortrax has opened a retail store.
MakerBot Expands to South Africa
MakerBot continues to spread its marketing umbrella across the globe, now entering Africa.
HP Sets Announcement Date
Well! HP has issued invitations to media for a special event on October 29th. What could it be about?
Demand High for New Solidoodle 3D Printer
We wrote on Solidoodle’s new “Press” personal 3D printer a few months ago and now it’s getting close to shipment.
3D Printing Press Release Roundup
This week’s announcements from the industrial 3D printing vendors.
Bhold Labs Partners with Ultimaker
Bhold has partnered with Ultimaker to enable everyone to easily participate in their 3D printed product development program.
3D Printing Stocks Punished in September
It’s been a bad month for most 3D printing stocks, in spite of the recent hype.
Stratasys Opens New Factory
Sales of Stratasys’ Connex equipment must be going well. So well they had to open a brand new factory to build them.
3D Hubs and ColorFabb Team Up for Discounts
They come from the same country, but that’s not the only thing going on between 3D Hubs and ColorFabb.
Stratasys Expands UPS Store 3D Print Service
3D printing giant Stratasys announced plans to dramatically expand their presence in UPS Stores across the United States.
3D Printing Jobs Explode
A report on Forbes analyzes the state of job openings related to 3D printing and finds there’s been a massive increase.
Stratasys Grabs GrabCAD
In an unexpected corporate move, 3D printing industry giant announced its acquisition of GrabCAD.
iMakr’s Unique Retail Concept
While in London recently we were able to visit the iMakr store, one of the few dedicated resellers of personal 3D printer gear.
Investing in Tinkerine?
Canada-based Tinkerine makes the Ditto line of personal 3D printers, but did you know they are also a public company?
An Update From PrintrBot
At the recent 3D Printshow in London we ran into Brook Drumm, CEO of PrintrBot and got an update on their developments.
3D Hubs Rakes in Major Cash
Burgeoning 3D printing network 3D Hubs made a rather spectacular announcement: they’re raised a significant investment.
Verbatim Makes 3D Printer Filament?
Who knew? The venerable analog media giant now markets their own 3D printer filament.
Canada’s Burloak Tech Goes Long on Metal AM Investment
Burloak Engineered Solutions Inc. has announced that it is embarking upon a new 5 year strategic plan which will see the company invest $11.5 million into establishing Canada’s first full production additive manufacturing and advanced manufacturing center.
Stratasys Patent Claims Against Afinia Dropped, Partially
The outcome is beginning to appear in the patent infringement case Stratasys brought against personal 3D printer marketer Afinia.
MakerBot Shuts Down Its Google Group
MakerBot is converting its Google Group into an archive and focusing support efforts on their in-house programs instead.
3D Systems’ 1H14 Financial Results
3D printing titan 3D Systems announced their first half of 2014 financial results. Let’s dissect the numbers and see what we can find.
MakerBot’s European Wing
MakerBot announced they’ve created “MakerBot Europe”, which they say is a “major expansion”.
The First Graphene 3D Printer?
A startup hopes to develop not only graphene materials for 3D printers, but a 3D printer designed for graphene printing. But we’re not so sure.
Amazon’s 3D Nuclear Option Launches
Things just got mainstream: Amazon announced a dedicated 3D print service.
Hurco to Transform CNC Machines into 3D Printers?
Industrial CNC machine maker Hurco says they’ve filed a patent to enable CNC machines to become 3D printers.
Shapeways Partners with Hasbro?
Toy giant Hasbro has struck a deal with Shapeways to provide access to some of their copyrighted characters.
MakerBot’s New Reseller: Home Depot
MakerBot has agreed with Home Depot to have specially designed “MakerBot kiosks” in a dozen Home Depot outlets in the US.
The Two Business Models of 3D Printing
We’re reading a post on The Motley Fool focusing on MCOR’s paper-powered 3D printer. It got us thinking about how 3D printing companies make their money.
MOTA Bails Out
A 3D printer launch campaign has fizzled. MOTA has suspended their Kickstarter.
3D Hubs Begins a Content Ecosystem
While 3D Hubs may be one of the largest networks of independently operated 3D printers, it really just provides access to printing. Until today, that is, with the addition of a new content service.
Materialise Goes Public
There are few publicly traded 3D printing companies, but now there’s another: Materialise.
be3D Expands into the USA
Czech-based be3Dprinters has established a US office for major push into the American market.
3DiTALY Becomes the Largest 3D Printer Store Network?
We’ve learned of a new chain of consumer-focused 3D printer stores: 3DiTaly.
3D Systems Releases Details About Its High Speed 3DP Production Line
Sometimes technological developments are born out of necessity—you have a need, you fill it. But other times technological developments trigger new needs and ideas altogether.
The Dirty Details on a 3D Model Theft
We’re reading a very detailed account of the theft and exploitation of a 3D model theft that recently took place – and was successfully resolved.
Walmart CEO Says Retail Giant May Buy 3D Printer Company
At an event during the re/Code Conference Walmart’s CEO Doug McMillon hinted that his company might be in the market to acquire a 3D printing company.
Backlash to MakerBot’s Patents Grows
The knowledge that MakerBot has apparently patented designs given to them by their community is spreading and some folks are upset.
iMakr to Open Manhattan 3D Printer Store
iMakr, perhaps the first independent 3D printer retail store, announced expansion to New York City.
Has MakerBot Crossed The Line? For Some, Yes
Controversy this week regarding MakerBot’s aggressive patent filings. Why the controversy? Because the concepts were originally donated by supporters in good faith to further the cause of 3D printing. And now MakerBot has patented them.
Is Google or Apple Developing a 3D Printer?
Rumors echo through the interwebs suggesting that Google AND Apple are developing 3D printers. But are they really?
Autodesk’s Spark Initiative
Autodesk announced a new initiative they call “Spark”. It’s an “open 3D printing platform” that could change many things in 3D printing.
Oxfam Partners with MyMiniFactory
3D printing is powerful and can, like atomic power, be used for good and evil. Today we’re learning about one of the good uses.
Are 3D Printing Stocks Recovering?
After a precipitous fall, 3D printing stocks seem to have rebounded slightly this week. What’s up with that?
Whoopass Drops 3D Printing
Whoopass is a bobble head manufacturer. You’d think they could make great use of 3D printing technology, but it didn’t work out for them.
Leapfrog Gets a New HQ
Netherlands-based 3D printer manufacturer Leapfrog has made the jump into a new headquarters.
The Defensive Patent License
A large portion of the 3D printing community is within the open source world, while the rest is commercially oriented. Conflicts have occurred, but now there could be a way to reduce them.
3D Systems Acquires Medical Modeling
3D printing giant 3D Systems announced it’s acquired Medical Modeling, Inc., a provider of custom medical products.
3D Printing Stocks Continue to Languish
After a massive run up in the past few years, major 3D printing stocks have been struggling of late.
The Inconsistent 3D Printers of Staples
Staples is a pretty big chain, supplying office equipment and supplies to a large portion of the planet. They sell 3D printers, too. But not everywhere.
Epson Acquires RepRap
It’s a blockbuster move and one printer manufacturer Epson hopes will enable them to catch up to competitor Hewlett Packard in the 3D printing space: Epson has fully acquired the RepRap open source project.
Build Your Own Ultimaker?
Looking for plans to build your own 3D printer? Now you can consider building an Ultimaker 2. While it’s for sale in assembled form, you can now inspect the plans for it.
Ultimaker Changes It Up – Again!
3D printer manufacturer Ultimaker has made a big change at the top, not too long after doing so once before. They’ve got a new CEO, but he’s not exactly new.
The Stoxx Global 3D Printing Pure Play Index
Increased interest in 3D printing has resulted in several stock index products, but this one is a little different.
What HP’s 3D Printing Venture Might Be: Some Speculation
Last week Hewlett Packard CEO Meg Whitman was asked pointed questions about her company’s work in 3D printing. Her answers revealed an upcoming June announcement.
SLM Solutions Set for an IPO?
Germany’s SLM Solutions has hired Deutsche Bank and Credit Suisse to prepare a potential initial public stock offering.
How Does XYZ Printing Do It?
New entrant XYZ Printing offers personal 3D printers at incredibly low cost, as low as USD$499 per unit. How do they do it?
New 3D Printer From LulzBot?
No, nothing’s been specifically announced, but we think LulzBot may be sending a signal they’re developing a new machine.
The End of MakerBot’s First
This week MakerBot announced the ending of support for their very first personal 3D printers.
A 3D Printing Mutual Fund?
Don’t want to miss out on the massive growth of 3D printing companies? Not sure where to invest your cash? There could be an answer for you.
MakeXYZ and CGTrader Receive Big Cash
The public perception of 3D printing has changed. How do we know this? Just take at look at the cash invested in two growing 3D print companies.
3D Printing Ad During The Super Bowl?
Everyone knows that purchasing ad space during the Super Bowl is prohibitively expensive. It’s so expensive that no 3D printing company could afford an ad. Or could they?
MakerBot’s Hiring: What Does This Mean?
From time to time we see MakerBot advertising for new hires, and today there’s another such call. What’s going on behind the scenes?
Another 3D Printing Patent Set to Expire: What Does This Mean?
US Patent number 5,597,589, “Apparatus for producing parts by selective sintering”, is to expire this May. Originally filed on May 31, 1994, the patent expires exactly 20 years hence, on May 31, 2014. But what will this mean?
Stratasys to be Acquired?
Bloomberg speculates on the future of 3D printing giant Stratasys. They believe the company could be acquired by one of two existing 2D printing companies.
Bow & Drape’s 3D Printing Venture
According to a report in the Wall St. Journal, New York startup Bow & Drape has raised USD$1.2M in new investment, specifically for developing new lines of customized fashion accessories using 3D printing.
DELL Offers Multiple 3D Printers?
The venerable PC maker DELL has signed a deal to resell 3D printers from not one, but two 3D printer manufacturers.
Credit Suisse Revises Their 3D Printing Projections
In light of new analysis, banking giant Credit Suisse has recalculated its 3D printing projection, stating that the manufacturing tech’s market will increase to $800M by 2016. Led by market researcher Jonathan Shaffer, the revised projection is a startling 357% increase from Credit Suisse’s $175M market estimate late last year. Driving that claim is… Continue reading Credit Suisse Revises Their 3D Printing Projections
3D Systems is Cooking Up a Chocolate 3D Printer with Hershey’s
3D Systems has fully committed to a food 3D printing strategy. After the surprise announcements of the ChefJet 3D printers, which can print sugar structures in full color (and flavor, too), they’ve announced a joint deal with chocolate conglomerate Hershey’s to develop “innovative opportunities for using 3D printing technology in creating edible foods, including confectionery… Continue reading 3D Systems is Cooking Up a Chocolate 3D Printer with Hershey’s
How’s Afinia Doing After that Stratasys Patent Claim?
3D printing giant Stratasys made a claim against Afinia, saying the latter has violated not one, but four of their patents related to plastic extrusion-based 3D printing. Now, you’d think having the weight of a major patent suit against you would have an effect on sales. Would prospective customer be scared off by the legal… Continue reading How’s Afinia Doing After that Stratasys Patent Claim?
Kodak Alaris Partnering with MCOR?
We observed something rather strange at CES last week. MCOR showed their amazing paper-based color 3D printer, the Iris, as you might expect, but we noticed ANOTHER MCOR Iris hiding on the show floor. It was secretly hidden behind the door to this private meeting room, owned by Kodak Alaris. If you’re not… Continue reading Kodak Alaris Partnering with MCOR?
One of These 3D Metal Printers Will Be Acquired?
We speculated the other day regarding Stratasys’ lack of metal 3D printing capability and suggested that they have been raising money to execute a major corporate acquisition to put that missing tech in their portfolio. Several spy reports seem to confirm this type of acquisition is in the works. But who will they acquire? … Continue reading One of These 3D Metal Printers Will Be Acquired?
3D Systems Names Will.I.Am as Chief Creative Officer
We were assembled in sardine-quality packed formation in 3D Systems’ massive booth at CES2014, awaiting some kind of event involving mega-recording star Will.I.Am. Some suspected the artist would play us some tunes, although it seemed quite unlikely as the only musical equipment in the vicinity was 3D Systems’ usual 3D printed band instruments, which are… Continue reading 3D Systems Names Will.I.Am as Chief Creative Officer
3D Systems Announces… Everything!
Yesterday as CES 2014 opened we had to drop by the 3D Systems booth as they had just that morning released information on multiple new products and services. It’s not the old days when one or perhaps two products appear; today they arrive in batches. We were toured through the new products by a very… Continue reading 3D Systems Announces… Everything!
Formlabs Now Accepting Bitcoin
Formlabs, makers of the most popular resin-based personal 3D printer, announced they will now accept Bitcoin for purchases at their online store. While there may be other 3D printer manufacturers accepting Bitcoin, Formlabs seems to be the only big player doing so. Bitcoin, if you somehow haven’t heard, is a new digital currency enabling… Continue reading Formlabs Now Accepting Bitcoin
The Staggering Implications of Afinia’s Countersuit
After last week’s blockbuster announcement of Afinia’s response to Stratasys’ allegations of patent infringement, we got thinking about what this might mean. We’re anxiously awaiting further developments, that likely being a full-on court case where a judge and jury hear detailed technical arguments from both sides. That hasn’t even begun yet and we suspect… Continue reading The Staggering Implications of Afinia’s Countersuit
What Will 3D Systems Announce at CES 2014?
We knew 3D Systems was set to make significant announcements at CES 2014 in Las Vegas, but now we have a preview. In a press release they said they would make not one, but TWELVE announcements. This is startling, as they previously announced a dozen or so new items at last month’s EuroMold conference in… Continue reading What Will 3D Systems Announce at CES 2014?
Breaking: Afinia’s Startling Response to Stratasys’ Patent Claims
After appropriate time for attorneys to do their work, Afinia has formally responded in court documents to Stratasys’ claim of patent infringement. Readers may recall that Afinia is the target of a patent claim by Stratasys. The larger company claims Afinia has violated four of their numerous 3D printing-related patents. In the response, Afinia… Continue reading Breaking: Afinia’s Startling Response to Stratasys’ Patent Claims
3D Printed Underwear?
A UK firm has revealed plans to produce a line of apparently 3D printed underwear. Tamicare has developed a new process that is said to enable 3D printed fabric, which they intend to produce underwear with, at least at first. The fabric generated through this process is trademarked as “CosyFlex”. It’s not entirely clear… Continue reading 3D Printed Underwear?
Controversy Surrounds the Picaso 3D Printer?
We wrote earlier on the Russian-made Picaso Designer 3D printer. Now we’ve seen some evidence of strange goings-on in that company’s market. Picaso issued a press release stating (via translation): Due to the spread of false information and the advent of the Internet many sites do not have permission to sell products Picaso 3D,… Continue reading Controversy Surrounds the Picaso 3D Printer?
The Growth of 3D Printing Stocks
This blog has a number of years under its belt. We first published on October 27th, 2007, a period when 3D printing was not well known outside of a small set of industrial users. Much has happened since then. At that time there were two major 3D printing companies, 3D Systems and Stratasys, who… Continue reading The Growth of 3D Printing Stocks
The Village Plastics Acquisition: Explained
We stand corrected: today officials from 3D Systems informed us that in fact, Village Plastics has been supplying them with a very significant portion of the filament plastic used on their Cubify 3D printers. Yesterday we speculated that VP sold plastic only to 3D Systems’ competitors. Who knew? Now the acquisition makes complete sense.… Continue reading The Village Plastics Acquisition: Explained
3D Systems Acquires Village Plastics
In a totally surprising move, 3D printing giant 3D Systems acquired Ohio-based Village Plastics. VP, best known by their sales outlet Filaco, manufacturers generic plastic filament for personal 3D printers. The company is known for their high-quality, non-toxic filament and their penchant for experimenting with non-standard materials such as HIPS. But we’re wondering… Continue reading 3D Systems Acquires Village Plastics
3D Systems Acquires Figulo
3D Systems has made another key acquisition, this time of a small but very interesting provider: Figulo. If you haven’t heard of them, they are perhaps the leading provider of glazed-ceramic 3D prints. We understand their services are used by some of the major 3D print services for outsourced ceramic work. Why is this… Continue reading 3D Systems Acquires Figulo
3D Systems Explodes with Announcements
3D printing giant 3D Systems isn’t standing still. At the EuroMold exhibition today they announced not one, not two, but twelve products to bolster their already considerable portfolio of equipment, software and services. They not only announced the products, but showed them at their massive booth at the Frankfurt trade show, staffed by what… Continue reading 3D Systems Explodes with Announcements
3D Systems Partners with Motorola
There are not a lot of details, but an agreement was reached between 3D Systems and Motorola, whereby 3D Systems would produce 3D printed “modules” to be used in Motorola’s modular smartphone venture, Project Ara. Project Ara intends on devising an open source, “free, open hardware platform for creating highly modular smartphones”, in which,… Continue reading 3D Systems Partners with Motorola
MakerBot Opens Two New Stores
It’s happened. We reported earlier that MakerBot intended to open not one, but two additional retail outlets to add to the initial store located in lower Manhattan. One of the new stores is located in Boston, a city of some technological innovation activity, particularly in 3D printing. The other store is located in… Continue reading MakerBot Opens Two New Stores
Implications of the Stratasys – Afinia Lawsuit
By now you’ve no doubt heard that Stratasys has launched a major lawsuit against Afinia for alleged violations of several Stratasys patents. We examined these patents previously, but we believe there are implications that travel far beyond simply Afinia, as the patents describe methods commonly used in many personal 3D printers. The concept of… Continue reading Implications of the Stratasys – Afinia Lawsuit
Details of the Stratasys – Afinia Lawsuit
We’ve been reading more about this week’s legal action by Stratasys against personal 3D printer marketer Afinia, who are alleged to have violated several of Stratasys’ patents. We’ve obtained a copy of the “Complaint for Patent Infringement” filed in the United States District Court, District of Minnesota (where Stratasys’ HQ is located, and, totally… Continue reading Details of the Stratasys – Afinia Lawsuit
Stratasys Sues Afinia
3D printing giant Stratasys launched legal action against Afinia, a marketer of personal 3D printers. The statement from Stratasys says: Afinia’s sale, promotion and use of its Series H printer infringes patents directed to part porosity, liquefier structure, temperature control, and tool paths for constructing part perimeters. The most recent Stratasys patent that Afinia… Continue reading Stratasys Sues Afinia
Cubes In Harrods!
3D Systems’ Cubify division has made another notable retail move, this time sealing a deal with Harrods of London to display the Cube personal 3D printer at their flagship store in Knightsbridge. Cubify has been rapidly expanding their network of resellers recently, but to be at Harrods is a big accomplishment. Harrods is a… Continue reading Cubes In Harrods!
Walmart Selling Cube 3D Printers – in Brazil
We know Staples sells Cubify’s entry-level personal 3D printer, the Cube, at an undetermined number of physical outlets in the USA. But now we learn Walmart also sells the Cube – but not in the USA; they’re available in Brazil. The Cube is priced at R$5,758 (USD$2,478), quite a bit more than the standard… Continue reading Walmart Selling Cube 3D Printers – in Brazil
Ultimaker Reorganizes
You may have heard about Ultimaker’s new personal 3D printer, the not-so-surprisingly named Ultimaker 2, but that’s not all that’s going down at the Dutch manufacturer. We listened to a talk by their new CEO, Henk van Gils at the London 3D Printshow 2013, in which he revealed some corporate moves at the growing… Continue reading Ultimaker Reorganizes
3D Printing Be Could Be Worth $8.41B by 2020
According to a recent study, the market for 3D printers could be worth nearly $8.5 billion by 2020. The study, conducted by Indian research firm MarketsandMarkets, forecasts a compound annual growth rate of 23% for 3D printing technology over the next seven years. According to MarketsandMarkets, one of the motivations for this growth is… Continue reading 3D Printing Be Could Be Worth $8.41B by 2020
Stratasys Strategy in a Post-Patent World
Stratasys, one of the largest 3D printing companies in the world today, faces transition. While the company built itself upon the FDM (fused deposition modeling) process it invented years ago, the patent for that process has expired. With the expiration of the key patents, other organizations have replicated (no pun intended) the process and… Continue reading Stratasys Strategy in a Post-Patent World