Again in December, Shapeways took a necessary step on our journey residence — buying Thangs. Immediately marks the subsequent milestone: an early entry launch of our new Print on Demand (PoD) characteristic on Thangs, powered by Shapeways’ world-class manufacturing engine.
This launch is deliberately restricted in order that we will optimize the onboarding expertise within the coming quarter. We are going to broaden shortly based mostly on designer suggestions. You’ll be able to see dozens of wonderful designs with the choice to print instantly from Thangs right here.
The journey residence
Earlier than we acquired Thangs we had been clear in our plan:
- Step One: Buying Thangs. The Thangs platform provides nice discoverability, sturdy IP protections, and a dynamic market. This was a strong basis on which to construct, with essential enhancements over the previous Shapeways Retailers atmosphere.
- Step Two (Immediately): Early Entry Launch of Print on Demand, beginning with a choose group of designers, with guide onboarding to make sure high quality and stability.
- Step Three (Quickly): Self-service Print on Demand, enabling all designers to promote printed variations of their creations globally.
- Step 4 (Future): Enhancing the Shapeways Store expertise utilizing trendy applied sciences to please customers and designers alike— automated, seamless, and accessible to all pre-approved designers. Signal Up Right here
Marleen Vogelaar: “We’re actually blissful to be launching the Print on Demand characteristic inside Thangs already and make good on the ambitions we had from the very begin of the journey. We’re at all times conscious that the progress we wish to see will take time, and we try to place our clients first whereas driving developments forwards. This preliminary iteration of the Print on Demand button lets us show out the system, study from the implementation and make sure that we efficiently attain the last word purpose for this a part of the journey: to carry again the complete Shapeways Store expertise and strengthen the Thangs neighborhood by providing further means to monetize on their designs and merchandise.”
Our dedication to creators
We genuinely imagine the long run belongs to creators. Area of interest is changing into mainstream! Thangs embraces this shift in market focus by empowering designers to supply quick access to each digital and bodily product gross sales with out worrying about stock, manufacturing, invoices, achievement and extra. Thangs additionally provides a vibrant market that actively showcases creators’ distinctive choices, enhancing discoverability and permitting creators to succeed in a considerable, educated viewers. Take a look at this attractive vase from Lofted Items!
MCM Vase by Lofted Items
Shapeways as a producing engine for Thangs
Thangs is the place creators will join instantly with clients. Shapeways supplies the important infrastructure behind the scenes, making certain distinctive high quality and scalability that lets creators do what they actually wish to do… create.
Skilled applied sciences resembling selective laser sintering (SLS), multi jet fusion (MJF) and metallic casting require a stage of funding, infrastructure and experience which means creators have little to no entry. With Shapeways performing because the manufacturing engine behind the scenes, creators can instantly supply merchandise and elements in an entire vary of polymer and metals supplies and finishes — and have entry to new applied sciences added by Shapeways mechanically.
Moreover, our industry-leading manufacturing requirements are trusted by companies worldwide, so creators might be assured that the elements their clients obtain will likely be proven the identical love and a spotlight as the unique design.
The following steps
This restricted launch provides a tantalising glimpse at what’s to come back. Within the subsequent levels of growth, we will likely be transitioning from guide onboarding to automated approval and onboarding for all eligible designers. We’ll additionally see the reintroduction of the complete Shapeways Retailers expertise by means of Thangs with enhanced IP safety options and discoverability by means of its 3D mannequin search engine.
We could have ongoing dialogue with our Store Proprietor Council to make it possible for creators form the way forward for this market and will likely be working with the group to verify the Print on Demand characteristic serves creators and their clients alike. We’re very pleased with the progress to this point — and there’s lots extra to come back!
Former Shapeways Store homeowners can reconnect by becoming a member of our waitlist as we speak.
Take a look at what’s already out there to print on demand right here.Subscribe to the e-newsletter to remain updated with the newest developments right here.
