Shapeways: 3D Printing for Consumers

Shapeways may have figured out how to make 3D printing easy for consumers. It works like this:

1. Log into www.shapeways.com, and then register.
2. Click Make, and then click Make your own.
3. A Java apps downloads, and then runs a constricted app that turns a poem or saying into a candle holder. The interface is straightforward: enter the message; choose a style; choose the material; place the order. (As you enter text, the 3D image updates in realtime, and a yellow warning alerts you to text that is structurally unstable.)
4. It is 3D printed, and then delivered within 10 days.

The cost is around $90.

Alternatively, you can upload 3D files in Collada or X3D format.

The company is located in Eindhoven, the Netherlands, and was incubated by Royal Philips Electronics.

Comments

[John]

definitely a great thing to try out. i like how it has that personalized feel to it, great to give a personalized candle holder to a friend relative etc.

[Joe]

here is a short video how it works: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xvwFl3ShBrc