Shapeways announced that they are shutting down immediately and have filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy.
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Well that's not good - they had been my go-to for 3D printing, and their Fine Detail Plastic was perfect for cosmetic items on models.
Anyone know of an alternative? Looks like I need one.
~Chris
Xometry and Protolabs could be okay alternatives, I'm not sure how many people have used them for modelling though.
I loved their offerings, but I am part of the problem. I never ordered from them. Unfortunately, my modeling over just collecting has taken a backseat for the last 10-15 years but still sad to see this great company needing to close.
If the content moves to another platform it would be bearable. Just a matter of finding out who the new vendor is and how long it takes for them to start producing. My fear though is that much of the items will be viewed as having too little demand and will be consigned to an electronic waste bin.
There seems to be a misunderstanding of how the Shapeways store worked - when buying a model already available (as opposed to uploading your own), you weren't buying a Shapeways product; you were buying a product that another hobbyist/small business designed, made available for public use, and Shapeways would just print it on demand. Think along the lines of a publishing company that uses a print-on-demand service to fulfill book orders, except in this case Shapeways was providing the sales interface as well.
In the greater context, this matters because a sale of Shapeways may not guarantee all the models move over as well (the creators of the models will probably have a say in if their own stuff gets transferred in this scenario). On the positive side, those same creators may take their models and find another company to support them. Whether a product remains available will most likely be determined by the will of the (now severely inconvenienced) creator rather than Shapeways or a successor.
~Chris
@C.Vigs posted:In the greater context, this matters because a sale of Shapeways may not guarantee all the models move over as well (the creators of the models will probably have a say in if their own stuff gets transferred in this scenario).
Apparently Shapeways is declaring that all the files that folks thought were their own IP is being taken as IP belonging to Shapeways as per one of the vendors I was hearing from last night who has 1000's of products resident and reliant upon there - it appears that the guarantee is not.
According to the linked article, the employees are gearing up to restart the company. Whether or not that happens is anyone's guess, but it could come back a la MTH after their breakup. I have some parts needs/wants and would like to see them come back at some point.
@C.Vigs posted:There seems to be a misunderstanding of how the Shapeways store worked - when buying a model already available (as opposed to uploading your own), you weren't buying a Shapeways product; you were buying a product that another hobbyist/small business designed, made available for public use, and Shapeways would just print it on demand. Think along the lines of a publishing company that uses a print-on-demand service to fulfill book orders, except in this case Shapeways was providing the sales interface as well.
In the greater context, this matters because a sale of Shapeways may not guarantee all the models move over as well (the creators of the models will probably have a say in if their own stuff gets transferred in this scenario). On the positive side, those same creators may take their models and find another company to support them. Whether a product remains available will most likely be determined by the will of the (now severely inconvenienced) creator rather than Shapeways or a successor.
~Chris
@mwb posted:Apparently Shapeways is declaring that all the files that folks thought were their own IP is being taken as IP belonging to Shapeways as per one of the vendors I was hearing from last night who has 1000's of products resident and reliant upon there - it appears that the guarantee is not.
This illustrates the scary nature of relying on information that's stored in the "cloud". I sometimes feel dumb when I keep my hard-copy books and magazines, but then something like this happens. In addition, I double down by making my own electronic copies of stuff that's important to me. It's just too easy for someone to pull the rug out from under us.
There is a great group of O scale 3D projects right here, in the OGR 3D Project Catalog. Many OGR Forum members have contributed to the various projects in that catalog. More projects are being added every month. If you would like to submit one of yours, CLICK HERE!
Shapeways got wind of Gunrunner getting a 3D printer and threw in the towel... Godpeed and good luck to the employees!
Having been 3D printing since 2017 when I acquired my FormLabs 2 printer, I never needed them.
Dennis--- I agree GODPEED to them!
No real surprise there. With really decent printers now available for less than $300 it’s cheaper to print your own stuff.
Hate to hear they're going out. Seems Alot of places are closing up.
Pretty sad for a "modern" company. I understand that people can readily purchase a 3D printer but some rather put their efforts into other aspects of the hobby. This was a convenient way to be a part of the new wave of this phenomena. Mario, etc. what do we do about your pilot packages?
Dave
@Norm Charbonneau posted:No real surprise there. With really decent printers now available for less than $300 it’s cheaper to print your own stuff.
It isn't just the cost of printers. Although many wouldn't use one often enough to justify the cost even at $300. It is also doing the research and design work.
@Bill N posted:It isn't just the cost of printers. Although many wouldn't use one often enough to justify the cost even at $300. It is also doing the research and design work.
Yes, however Shapeways didn't do the design work, it was the folks contributing to the Shapeways catalog that did that.
