Filaments.ca Acquired by InkSmith: What This Means for Canadian 3D Printing

News from the 3D print material market in Canada: Filaments.ca has been acquired.

Filaments.ca is a long-time supplier of filaments and related 3D printer products and materials to the Canadian and North American market. For many years they were the go-to source for materials in Canada. Their “EconoFil” spool-less product proved pretty popular, and was one of the first to provide that style of material.

However, in the past couple of years things have changed. Several new competitors emerged, providing competition. In addition, some of the recently popular machines sell their own materials with RFID chips in the spools, taking away some business from third party filament sellers.

Recently we’ve been hearing rumors about Filaments.ca’s viability and noticed that a good portion of their product shelf was marked “out of stock”.

Now we know what’s happened: Filaments.ca has been acquired by InkSmith. They are a Canadian operation specializing in educational markets with STEM-related products. Those include robotics, laser cutters and, of course, 3D printers.

In a press release, they said:

“We are thrilled to share that our team at InkSmith has acquired the Filaments.ca and Filabox.ca ecommerce stores. Situated in Kitchener, Ontario, we are eager to integrate these brands into our operations and revitalize their offerings to provide you with the best possible experience moving forward.

The team at Filaments.ca pursued an admirable vision to localize manufacturing, aiming to deliver a highly customized product line made in Canada. However, the team faced various challenges and ultimately had to cease production of filament. Our acquisition signifies our commitment to revive these brands and deliver exceptional experience for you moving forward.”

The Filaments.ca online store is now operated by Inksmith.

An inspection of the new website shows a dramatic change in the product shelf. Last week the site showed a huge number of products from different suppliers, different material types and sizes. Today Filaments.ca offers only one material option: InkSmith PLA+. This material is offered in 1kg spools, and in 13 colors.

That’s it. There is no PETG, ABS, EconoFil, or anything else.

That’s quite disappointing for those looking for non-standard materials, but perhaps that’s what the STEM market requires for InkSmith’s business.

It may also be that supplier contracts with the old Filaments.ca have been cancelled, and InkSmith will have to re-establish connections with a new set of suppliers.

There are plenty of alternative options for Canadian 3D printer operators to obtain materials. Meanwhile, I’ll be watching Filaments.ca to see if they begin to offer a wider variety of materials.

Via Filaments.ca and InkSmith