Will Christmas 2017 be the year that 3D printing takes a long anticipated hold in the homes of a wider audience? With more than 10,000 stores in 18 countries, and an estimated turnover of over €50 billion the global supermarket chain Aldi may be better positioned than most to make this a reality.
Later this month Aldi UK will begin selling a £299 3D printer, they are calling this the 3D Printer hero from Balco and pre-orders open on the 19th of November.
Solving the 3D printing puzzle
Increasing access to 3D printing has taken many forms in 2017.
Some of the trends we have reported on include the growing number of low-cost 3D printers and also the increasing ease of use of the technology.
Some of the trends we have reported on include the growing number of low-cost 3D printers and also the increasing ease of use of the technology.
Tapping into the price dimension has seen the appearance of 3D printers such as the $99 STARTT. The second element, ease of use, has remained slightly more elusive.
The software used to operate the 3D printer comes with easy access to MyMiniFactory, the world-leading 3D printable object-sharing platform, which hosts more than 36,000 guaranteed 3D printable.
MyMiniFactory also offers a Click & Print for the STARTT 3D printer. This functionality removes the learning curve from all software aspects. It will be interesting to see if Aldi’s 3D Printer hero will integrate this functionality.
Moving into consumer mass-market
Aldi is one of the first major global retailers to sell a branded consumer-oriented 3D printer. Pre-orders starting just before Christmas show that consumer 3D printing is in a boom – with applications such as Toys & Games being popular – and that the technology will soon compete with other consumer devices like game consoles for Christmas.
In 2016 Aldi tested the market for 3D printers with an offer available at their Australian stores. It would appear that experiment was a success as they are now moving into the UK market – which as reports show is one of the leading regions for 3D printing.
The Aldi 3D printer will be available for pre-order here on 19th November.
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Featured image shows Aldi’s 3D printer hero from Balco hits UK stores. Image via Aldi
