Have some great design ideas for a product? Or need a replacement part for that antiquated clock, which is not readily available? Lets bring to your attention the world of 3D printing. 3D printing you ask? Isn't that frighteningly expensive stuff?

Let us introduce to you Shapeways , a place where you can create a 3D representation of the object that you want to create. And Shapeways will 3D print it for you and the best part is that they have managed to work with other organizations to bring down the cost of this technology, with the lure of higher volumes.

Shapeways is actually more than just a source for getting your 3D models printed. Creative 3D designers can upload their models and can sell their wares at shops that they can create on Shapeways. The designers can then decide the markup that they wish to add to the cost of printing the model, as determined by Shapeways, based on the intricacy of the model.

Each time a buyer buys one of thee printed models from the designers' shop the corresponding markup is paid to the designers' PayPal account. Shop owners are currently earning as much as $1800-$2000; some of them even envisage a future where they can quit their day jobs and run 3D sesign studio on Shapeways as a fulltime hobby/profession.





















































What is an added advantage here is that you have a one stop solution to your 3D printing needs with a wide choice of material like plastics, metals and glass. The models can be uploaded in a wide variety of formats and you can get a better idea of the materials you can use for the models here.  Carine was good enough to speak with us about Shapeways and share her viewpoint. Read on below:


Could you please introduce yourself to our readers?

Hi there! I'm Carine Carmy, Director of Marketing for Shapeways. I'm tasked with helping people discover the wild world of 3D printing, and how this once space age technology is now incredible accessible.


What was the inspiration behind starting Shapeways? How did you come upon this idea?

Our vision at Shapeways is to enable anyone to make whatever they can imagine. For several decades now, people had been designing products with CAD software, but 3D printing had been quite expensive, and the materials were still much better suited for prototypes. Our founders wanted to make 3D printing more accessible to everyone, such that you could make store ready, and even custom, products at low costs. They launched the service within the Philips Lifestyle Incubator and the response was incredible.

You can read the full story in this time.com article.


How has Shapeways been received by your users? What is the best compliment that you have received for Shapeways?

We have an amazing community of over 150,000 people all over the world who are using our service in ways we could never imagine. It's really inspiring to see people make incredible things from wedding rings to puzzles to lamp shades. I saw a mask the other day from an up and coming Dutch DJ. The possibilities are endless.

One of my favorite reactions to Shapeways usually goes like, "Wait, no way. This is possible?! You must be kidding." That, and hearing that people can quit their day job because of our service.


























What sort of materials can be used to create objects with Shapeways? Could you please elaborate?

We offer 3D printing in over 25 materials and finishes, including plastics, ceramics, glass, metals (stainless steel, gold plated steel, sterling silver), a full color gypsum powder, and others.


Please explain the different methods of 3D printing that are employed by Shapeways.

Going from idea to product with 3-D printing is pretty simple compared to other manufacturing techniques. Once you have the idea, you model it using the 3D design software of your choosing; we accept models from most programs (STL, OBJ, X3D, Collada or VRML97/2 files are all accepted). You can then upload the model to Shapeways.com, and we run some checks to make sure it can be printed in the material of your choosing, as different materials have different design rules and actually use different printers (mainly with selective laser sintering). Once we've checked the design, you'll be able to create it on demand, and if you're happy with the result, you can make it available for sale on Shapeways.com.

For those who don't know how to design in 3D but still want to make their own custom product, they can use on of our apps or contact one of our community members to get help modelling their product.


Please share with us some of the most complex designs printed by Shapeways. What is the typical turnaround time for your 3D objects?

For all the math geeks out there, we've seen some pretty amazing feats like klein bottles, mobius strip inspired jewelry, or the Strandbeest, a walking sculpture that is printed with over 70 parts already assembled. Turnaround time is under 2 weeks for our plastics and under 3 weeks for some of the more complicated material processes like ceramics or steel.


Do you do all the 3D printing in-house? Please give us a ballpark figure on how many 3D objects you print on an average every day.

We print both in-house and with partners. Last year alone, we made over 750,000 products. Over a million unique products to date!






































What are the future plans for Shapeways? Where do you see yourself headed, say 2 years down the line?

Fundamentally, we believe that everyone is a creator. We're already seeing this trend in digital content creation, from music to news to art -- coupled with social media and gaming trends, it's clear that the age of passive consumption is behind us. So it's only natural that we also want to be involved in the products we see and touch on a daily basis, which is why enabling everyone to benefit from 3D printing is core to our vision.

This past March, we launched The Vibe, a customizable iPhone case with sound you can touch (video here). In two years from now, especially once we launch an improved version of our API, we expect that there will be more tools like this one that enables anyone to create. That, plus, we want to provide more ways for people to share their creations, which was the basis for the Feed of the Future!


What advice would you like to give to aspiring designers and entrepreneurs?
No more excuses :)


Thank you Carine for taking the time for this interview, Shapeways is truly a unique idea and we wish you the very best for the future.