The 3D Printing Store, located in Denver, CO, USA, opened its doors to consumers in December of last year. The premise for the store is to provide a 3D printing service for ‘the man [woman or child] on the street’ who can select from a wide range of household digital designs — from a variety of online, freely accessible resources — and see them manufactured on site courtesy of 3D printing. To date the store has a Stratasys uPrint and Makerbots fulfilling this service. The 3DP Store is among a growing number of retail spaces that are bringing 3D printing technology — and its capabilities — into the consciousness of the general consumer in a real way.
Most recently, The 3D Printing Store hosted an open day in collaboration with local 3D printer manufacturer, Aleph Objects, developer and manufacturer of the Lulzbot 3D printer. The firm is based nearby in Loveland, Colorado. While the company has seen global interest in the Lulzbot system and distributed an impressive number world wide, local interest and uptake is also a significant contributor to the company’s success including many educational institutions that are integrating 3D printing into their curriculum.
The open evening took place on Thursday last (7th February) and saw more than 400 people — of all ages and backgrounds — coming through the doors.
Deb Wilcox, Principal at The 3D Printing Store commented, “It was so gratifying to see kids that seemed to know about and people much older wanting to learn more….. whether they were hobbyists, inventors or architects, and we had all of these and more. It was so crowded that some people couldn’t even get up to see any of the six printers we had in operation and are making an appointment to come back. We’ll have to do this again.”
