Shapeways files in the US for bankruptcy (update: operations restarting)

[laellee]

That's the one I get yesterday as well. I think they are attempting to reboot the company relying on the value of brand recognition over anything else, also hoping that old customers will have loyalty to the company and want to come back. The rest of the information was pretty light on details, it mostly sounds like they are trying to start over in the original facility in the Netherlands with a few of the previous staff on board.

Just my TLR two cents-

-That's great that they are trying to 're-boot', but a lot of things have to happen I think before they will be the right option for me in the US. For starters, it's a new company that only owns some of the original intellectual property; right now it is Shapeways in name only, nothing carried over and their terms of service are pretty non-existent. That's fine, this is a new endeavor, but this a brand new company and I don't think they have even figured a lot of specifics out.

-This re-start is happening at one facility in (I believe) the Netherlands. Right away that sounds like a logistical shipping headache for me in the USA, never mind the cost. The old Shapeways was completing and shipping from multiple facilities in multiple countries, there are no longer any operating Shapeways-owned facilities in the States to complete anything.

-Piggybacking off of the above, the new company hasn't outlined exactly WHAT ROLE they will have in the order fulfillment process yet. Are they going to just complete all orders in-house in the Netherlands for now, and ship all over? That doesn't sound like an attainable business plan, especially with all of the other printing options available these days. Are they going to also use third-party printers and manufacturers to complete orders, and if so how will they protect their customers? That's been my concern with Craftcloud.

Craftcloud3d (to my understanding) is really just working as an intermediary that is connecting customers like me to 3rd-party printing and manufacturing companies that then do the actual production; CC3D isn't producing ANYTHING, they are just brokering deals between us and manufacturers for a fee. When it was just the old Shapeways, they were on the hook for any problems I had with quality/shipping/etc, and responsible to fix it. I have not had any problems with Craftcloud yet, but what happens when I get a decent-size order through their platform and the parts are low-quality, out of spec, whatever? Is it going to be that spiderman meme of me pointing at CC3D who is pointing at the actual manufacturer who is pointing at me, everyone blaming everyone else and no one fixing anything? If Shapeways is going to be a broker, I might as well stick with CC3D until I can compare customer service experiences fairly between the two.

Thanks for coming to my Ted talk lol, but any ways I don't think Shapeways has the capital or facilities to be successful globally again. They don't have the money or infrastructure, and even if they did, this is NOT the same market they essentially cornered 10+ years ago. Too much competition, too many home printers, they'll get priced-out unless they bring in outside help.

 

[Dogsbody2]

I agree.When it first came out it was pretty much the only game in town but now the access to home printers and higher performing machines is too easy to obtain.I have two large scale FDM printers that give me as good as a finish of Shapeways stuff now.Plus wife has a new Resin printer for high detail stuff.
Only way I can see them going ahead is to drop their process prices or make it more fair for makers to be more part of their company.They need a niche market on what no one else is doing to be competitive again.

 

[Pixelworks]

Before I went out and bought a resin printer, I shopped Shapeways on occasion. At the time, I was mainly interested in aftermarket upgrade pieces from designers and for me an occasional printing of microscopic small pieces that at the time were not possible on a FDM printer. I wish them luck, but like Iaellee said, I do not think there is much income in the order2print market anymore, and as a marketing platform for designers, there are other platforms out there that are better.

To be honest I was a bit bummed that all user profiles as well as the saved stl files were deleted. I assume most designers have a local back-up of their work, but all the links out there are now obsolete. I think those who used it as a selling platform, will not risk the run-around a second time and move on to more stable platforms to place their goods.

 

[Rahn420]

I wish that some of the designers, like 308 Bits, would also offer their files for sale. But, I assume, that would open up the chances of designs being resold by others.
There were many parts I wanted printed for my Falcon.
Now I have my own printers and would like to print them myself.
In some cases, I get better results (smoothness) from my printers that what I would get from shapeways.

 

[Pixelworks]

308 Bits

I may be mixing things up, but I thought I read somewhere that 308 Bits was using another platform to offer his stuff. I read about that just a couple days ago... I will check my browser history and see if I can find the conversation that I am thinking about.

Shapeways became obsolete for me the day I got my resin printer, I think they printed in pretty good resolution (providing you printed in their high resolution plastic) but at a price that it just did not make sense anymore. Of course I had to learn how to work with CAD software, I am nowhere near to a professional, but still I can do the things I need... so time well invested in my opinion.

and yeah, I feel your pain... I have a BanDai PG Falcon kit still plastic wrapped on the shelf that I was actually looking forward to spending about the same again in upgrade pieces.

 

[edge10]

As far as I know, Tony is selling directly through crud book:

308 Bits

308 Bits. 2,631 likes · 10 talking about this. Highly accurate upgrades and custom parts for your Millennium Falcon, Space 1999 and BSG model kits. If you need some part not listed on my website, or...

www.facebook.com

You could try emailing him.

 

[laellee]

Looks like Shapeways just purchased a controlling interest in Thangs (www.thangs.com) for 123 million. So they must have some significant capital to work with.

 

[Dogsbody2]

Think Thangs has the ability to print models as well as Download them.

 

[chubsANDdoggers]

I owe a lot to shapeways. I also spent a small fortune there as well but thanks for that company alone it allowed me to see that the possibilities where endless when I came to this “new” technology of 3d printing.

 

[Mark2000]

I was a big seller on Shapeways and them going down really hit me hard, as well as all my customers. They are back, but the process of uploading and testing files is kind of wonky at the moment. I only have 4 items up right now. For those who say Shapeways is obsolete because of home printing, that’s not quite right. I would never sell files for many reasons, and even though I have both filament and resin printers, I wouldn’t commercially print. It’s a toxin process that requires a lot of work, waste, and clean up. Build plate set up is more art than science and resin printers leave support marks and resin prints warp easily. That makes it bad for exact measurements and flat mating surfaces. Shapeways stuff was always exact and had no marks because they use wax as a support material. It’s still a better product than what most people can get at home.

 

[replicaprops]

I was a big seller on Shapeways and them going down really hit me hard, as well as all my customers. They are back, but the process of uploading and testing files is kind of wonky at the moment. I only have 4 items up right now. For those who say Shapeways is obsolete because of home printing, that’s not quite right. I would never sell files for many reasons, and even though I have both filament and resin printers, I wouldn’t commercially print. It’s a toxin process that requires a lot of work, waste, and clean up. Build plate set up is more art than science and resin printers leave support marks and resin prints warp easily. That makes it bad for exact measurements and flat mating surfaces. Shapeways stuff was always exact and had no marks because they use wax as a support material. It’s still a better product than what most people can get at home.

Agreed, and the metal printing was amazing. They also guaranteed the quality. Thangs as a market place is a joke though. It has no marketing like shapeways had on google searches. The shopping experience on thangs is horrible and the prices are double for metal parts. I moved to craftcloud for metal.

 

[ScourgiousJinx]

Is there a site somewhat comparable to shapeways marketplace where prints can be ordered?

 

[replicaprops]

Is there a site somewhat comparable to shapeways marketplace where prints can be ordered?

For just uploading and ordering for yourself craftcloud. For selling Thangs

 

[Mr Mold Maker]

I recently used a US based printer called “Formfus3d.” It was a little more expensive than craftcloud but I was able to send a much larger file size, it was produced and shipped quickly, and the print quality was slightly better than craftcloud. The customer service was also amazing, they kept me very updated. (For the quality comparison, I usually use WeNext aka 3DPNXT from Craftcloud for reference.)

Just figured I’d throw this out there as another option, especially if you’re using larger file sizes for more detailed things. I’ll probably continue to send most prop/helmet stuff to craftcloud and use Formfus3d for my busts.

This was the print I got with a coat of primer, it is 1:1 scale “Lifesize.”

 

[laellee]

As a note to the above, I use Craftcloud quite a bit now.

For people looking, they are only a platform, and are not producing anything themselves. At the point of purchase, you are choosing the manufacturer you want to use and the associated costs of that particular company (and their shipping)

I have had pieces manufactured through Craftcloud from factories in both the US and overseas (including Mexico, India, and China), and it is definitely true that all companies are not the same; Craftcloud gives them a standard they are supposed to stick to (for printing it can be detail resolution, etc), and then they hand off the work. My parts are getting drop-shipped straight from the printer or machinists, wherever they are, so Craftcloud isn't physically reviewing my order or performing any quality control. I have to rely on customer reviews, and often there isn't a lot to work with.

I only say all of this because trial and error has shown me that there are manufacturers that definitely produce at a higher quality than others. The majority of my Craftcloud parts have been at a quality at or above what they promise, but there are also ones that are running at bare minimum QC.

As Mr Mold Maker posted, if you find a good manufacturer, take note. It may cost a little more, but with a lot of these places the review pool is very shallow so you are kind of gambling on your first order. If I needed a full bust printed, I'd rather spend a little more money and go with his platform and printer; I like a good deal as much as anyone, but saving a few bucks doesn't matter if the quality is going to force me to buy a second bust from another manufacturer.

Oh also, shipping varies so much between places, you can pay a LOT just to get each order shipped to you; it's worth making your order as large as you can use to offset that rate. On a lot of my smaller part orders, the manufacturer will charge essentially the same price for 3 or 15, let's say it's $20 and shipping is $23: I can order 3 identical parts shipped for $43, or take the 15 for the same cost. So anyways it's worth comparing their manufacturing and shipping quotes based on how many pieces you order.

 

[3Dsf]

laellee : Very interesting. Thanks for that review of their model and your experiences with it!