Tech Data, a gigantic global consumer electronics distributor, just signed a distribution deal with MakerBot to sell all of the 3D printers – and the 3D scanner – in the New York based manufacturer’s line up.
Although Tech Data, positioned at number 119 on the Fortune 500 list, has a global reach, the agreement currently focuses solely on the domestic US market channel of resellers. It will make MakerBot the exclusive brand for Tech Data’s 3D Printing category for the next 12 months.
This does not mean Tech Data’s customers will have a lack of choices: MakerBot’s line up caters to pretty much all types of FDM customers. It ranges from the the prosumer targeted MakerBot Replicator 5th Gen to the lower-priced consumer-oriented Replicator Mini and the more professional Replicator Z18 (due out soon).
It also still includes the more maker-targeted Replicator 2 and the experimental Replicator 2X (the only one with dual extruders in the current line up), along with the MakerBot Digitizer rotational 3D scanner. Tech Data will be a one-stop shop for all MakerBot needs as it will also carry the official MakerBot PLA filament — expanding the brands reach dramatically.
