Chicago is the latest city to get its own bricks and mortar 3D printing retail space. Set to open its doors today, “The 3D Printer Experience” will offer its clientele the opportunity to experience 3D printing first-hand. The 3Dprinting store has more than twenty 3D printers in-house and will highlight applications of the technology that visitors to the store can ‘play with’. The remit of ‘The 3D Printer Experience’ is to introduce people “to a very bright future of personal, desktop manufacturing” with a dedicated focus greater creativity and freedom.
The team behind the 3D Printer Experience are themselves pretty clued up and will provide a complete set-up for learning and interacting, as well as purchasing. I was also interested to learn that Robert Schouwenburg (originally a co-founder of Shapeways) has contributed to this venture. The store is part of a wider enterprise and has been made possible by The MetaSpace: The Social Enterprise Ecosystem.
The Chicago store will provide comprehensive opportunities to get to grips with 3D printing and all of the prerequisites there of, including 3D data, 3D scanning and customization apps.
The range of 3D printers on site is impressive and includes Makerbot Replicators, versions 1 and 2, the UP! Mini and an EOS Formiga P110 laser sintering (LS) system. Next month will also see the store introduce the Filabot system for producing filament materials, which nicely covers that angle.
Other features of the store include the now familiar – 3D Photobooth opportunity, whereby shoppers can have their head or body 3D scanned and subsequently 3D printed. Appointments for this are recommended, but the price point has come down since this phenomenon emerged and a small head print can be acquired for $25 (medium $45; large $75; and XL: $115).
The store also offers the PendantMaker – an app that allows clients to create and print custom pendants.
The 3D Printer Experience will also run regular workshops.
For anyone in or around Chicago area, the store is situated at 316 N. Clark Street.
Source: 3D Printer Experience
