It was right around this time last year that the very first 3D print shops came into existence. iMakr in London, 3D Heights in Manhattan, 3DiTaly in Rome, Dimension Alley in Berlin and 3D Factory in Israel. Although I did not make it to 3D Heights last week in New York (and I am really upset with myself for that) , I did get to visit 3D Factory in Tel Aviv and I was happy to see that the shop is doing just fine, growing organically and gradually introducing new products and services.
Michael covered the grand opening of 3D Factory last December 18th, and just under a year later Oded Marcus, the shop’s co-founder, told me about the continuing growth with increasing requests for 3D printed models from students and consumers alike. He began with a MakerBot Thing-O-Matic to 3D print his own projects and now, he says, just about every architecture and product design student is doing the same.
While Oded has been considering upgrading to a color 3D printer, specifically the Mcor IRIS, he does not think the price point is currently fully sustainable for his own type of service. The current in-store 3D printer line up is made up of six FlashForge systems, including two wooden Creator II’s, three aluminium frame Creator Pro’s and one plastic frame version. The store also has one large scale system from Israel based Something3D and one other large system that Oded has been modifying (plus, of course, the original MakerBot Thing-o-magic in the window display).
Selling 3D printers, filament and accessories, both on and offline, along with a growing selection of pre-printed objects (from keychains to jewellery) 3D Factory is as “normal” as a 3D print shop can be. Its main strength comes from the founder’s own passion and experience with 3D modelling and 3D printing. The STL and OBJ file printing service is done the “old fashioned way”: just email the file, select the resolution and color you require and then add in your customization options. The staff also offers hands-on guidance and workshops.
So, a year after opening, 3D Factory is still at the forefront of a revolution that has seen the global number of 3D print shops grow exponentially (as is to be expected, since we are still talking about a pioneering sector, not yet a mass market trend). The choice of 3D printers and consumables changes according to the geographical area and personal preferences, although the general business model is very similar the world over. Leonard Cohen sang it best: first we take Manhattan, then we take Berlin (and Tel Aviv).
