A giant stealth bomber shaped toy store called Playthings Etc. located in Butler Pennsylvania is the second retail store to bring the first 3D printing kiosk to their customers.
The PieceMaker is essentially a high quality dual extruder RepRap 3D printer that’s been wrapped in a kiosk and given touchscreen controls and a retail interface. It allows customers to select and 3D print from a list of pre-loaded 3D printable objects, and customize the colour, size, shape and even include words or a message. Each 3D printed item purchased from the PieceMaker kiosk should take less than twenty minutes to print and cost about $5.00 with over 150 products available for customers to personalize.
Retailers don’t actually have to purchase the kiosks, they simply provide floor space and a power source for them. They are owned by Piecemaker Technologies who maintain the kiosks and the 3D printers the same way any toy vending machine owner would. Back in April Mike wrote about PieceMaker placing their first two kiosks in two branches of S.W. Randall Toys & Giftes (that is not a typo, that is an extraneous “e”) as part of their pilot program. And it looks like the program was successful because PieceMaker just announced that they are placing another kiosk in a new Pittsburg toy store called Plaything Etc.
“We are extremely excited to bring our second system to Plaything Etc.,” said PieceMaker CEO Arden Rosenblatt “They are a great toy store that saw the opportunity to offer their customers a one-of-a- kind toy making experience, and we are confident that the customers of Playthings Etc. will come up with some unique creations!”
Plaything Etc. has a very unique building that they designed to look like a stealth bomber taking flight and they specialize in unique, interactive toys and hobby kits. To celebrate the new store location PieceMaker threw an in store launch party this past weekend. Here’s a closer look at Playthings Inc:
While 3D Systems has teased placing 3D scanning photobooths in stores that have yet to materialize, PieceMaker is going ahead and successfully managing to place 3D printing kiosks in retail locations. A 3D printing kiosk is a no brainer for an interactive and educational toy store like Plaything Etc. but the idea is a solid one for many businesses. I can see kiosks like it popping up in a variety of businesses like movie theaters, arcades, gift shops, and even restaurants.
3D printing is becoming a more understood technology every day, and that growing awareness and recognition makes it an easy sell to customers. Amusement parks still have those dumb machines that cost 50 cents to flatten pennies into weird shapes and they’ve been around for like a hundred years. This alone suggests that the ability to customize and then watch something be 3D printed in front of you is a novelty that isn’t going to wear off any time soon.
If you’re a business who wants a kiosk you can learn more about the PieceMaker kiosk at the PieceMaker Technologies website. And if you’re in Pennsylvania you should stop by SW Randall and Playthings Inc and get a look at the kiosks and 3D print yourself something cool. And by all means, include an extraneous “e” if you really feel the need.
