lposter

For any one that uses or has used Shapeways for hard to get bits.,...it seems they have filed for bankruptcy...

https://www.cgchannel.com/2024/07/3d...or-bankruptcy/

p

Max-U52

This makes me wonder if maybe some more reasonable prices would have attracted enough additional customers that they wouldn't have had to go bankrupt. There have been a lot of times that I probably would've used them, If they're prices weren't so damn high.

lposter

They certainly were not reasonable.....

p

tankme

Someone had reported that the website was down, but it is back up. I wonder if they are going to reorg under bankruptcy?

RC_BobM

Not surprising - the sales tax (10.1%) and processing fees have gotten outrageous. Its less expensive to print metals esp in Asia. I really like their printed metals, esp brass. But every order is $75-100 additional useless taxes and fees, I don't use them much any more
Bob.

tankme

I stopped using them also as the prices were just so damn high and it took forever to get the stuff. Now that I have my own printer, it's no loss for me. I think other competition like PCBWay where they have the ability to print or cut so many more materials is a better business model.

bowlman

I just got some centurion drivers view ports from them they are pricey so if they would lower the prices they would sale more .
Thanks
Jimmy

RichJohnson

I actually did not have a problem with what their products cost. Remember, the cost was set by the individual designers and then amplified by shapeways based on complexity and material.
As the sole place to get a lot of special one of a kind tank parts, model train parts and model boat parts I wanted, their cost was not unreasonable if you want the parts for your model. The model train hobbyists I know never seemed to complain about the cost on shapeways.
the only other option is to find a designer and pay them to draw your part then source a person to print it. That costs way more, trust me.
I will miss them greatly. I have an order stuck in process that will never get filled since they fired all the employees. I’m gonna file a credit card claim but since they are in bankruptcy I probably won’t get my money back.

maillemaker

I found their prices were high even if you uploaded your own design for printing with no profit.

RichJohnson

I had no problem with what they charged as there would have not been any other way to get the parts I had purchased unless those designers had their own printers and had their own websites and l was able to find them online and purchase them. As well as I had things printed in brass, steel and other materials not redily available. Like the working pintle hitch I collaborated with with Battleground models and had printed in steel for my M32 and halftrack. Or the merkava arms for my hooben merkava that I had printed in bronze like material.
They are a great loss as no one offers a service like theirs that brings all these things together in one place.
When your the only one doing it yeah you can charge what the market will bear.
And considdering what I pay for high quality professional prints from my printer that makes my parts for my rc tank business, Shapeways was not a whole lot higher for similar quality.
But if you comparing what you can get on shapeways vs what you can print at home with pla on an older average printer that is going to have grainy lines of resolution all over it, yeah then your print is going to be nearly pennies vs the cost of something from shapeways.
Im saying quality costs money and they had it and the vast source of parts not available any where else and I regularly ordered parts from various designer stores for my model tanks and other hobbies, that is one reason my models looked so good, I had highly detailed unique parts not available anywhere else. So I could scratch build them or buy them.
But now they are gone.

RC_BobM

Rich
I too will miss shapeways. Here is another company offering similar services in Oakland, including printing in metals and brass casting.. I have not tried them, but will be doing do:
https://www.sculpteo.com

Bob

Tanque

Hmmm, those guys are not terribly far from me. I've been to Christmas concerts over there at the Cathedral of Light that's nearby.

Jerry

bowlman

Got this in my email today .
Thanks
jimmy
With the discontinuation of the 3D printing service Shapeways, its customers and designers are left out in the cold. Craftcloud would be more than happy to welcome you.

https://all3dp.com/4/dear-shapeways-...il&omhide=true

RichJohnson

Well craft cloud isn’t going to host designers and allow their products to be printed by customers.
So there is still no replacement for shapeways.
Shapeways pioneered and created an industry of small busineses that could sell their designs printed direct to the customer.
All those businesses are now gone and no way to purchase their designs printed.
All we can hope for is that they emerge from Ch7 reorganized and opened back up with a similar business model for us.