Graphics Reference
In-Depth Information
“Shapeways is like Amazon's platform, an outlet for people to sell their own
products,” Robert explained. “In 2002, Jeff Bezos sent Amazon employees an
internal memo that Amazon was going to be a platform company.” Bezos's
directive that would change the future of ecommerce was that every team
inside the company must expose their data to one another and to the outside
world via APIs. Over a decade later, Amazon is the Internet's biggest e-com-
merce platform with automated feeds to outside product vendors, inventories,
and other software companies.
While platform strategy may steer Shapeways's business model, its magic
lies in the artistry of its designers and the broad range of materials that people
can print things in. If you buy your own 3D printer, your choice is between
different colors of plastic. At the time of this writing, Shapeways offered its
customers the choice of 25 different printing materials. Shapeways sells every-
thing, from custom charms for a charm bracelet from designer Mark Bloomield
of ElectroBloom to the abstract artistry of Francesco De Comité. Its online
shop owners are starting to earn real money, the combined equivalent of a few
hundred thousand U.S. dollars a year.
So far Shapeways designers and buyers haven't yet ventured into the stuff of
everyday manufacturing, for example, printing car parts or making injection
molds. Somewhat closer to the edge of real manufacturing lies another pio-
neering DIY business called 100kGarages that spans the worlds of consumers,
skilled amateurs, and moonlighting professionals. 100kGarages's founders Ted
Hall and Bill Young have built an online community where makers and buyers
can have custom products made “just the way you want them.”
100kGarages
“Nobody's making a full-time living yet by making things for people,” said Ted
Hall. Many active users are professional small manufacturing irms that own
a CNC router or 3D printer and want to make some extra money. “However,
what we hear—from both makers and buyers—is that they ind one another
on 100kGarages, build up a relationship, and then get together for bigger
contracts ofline.”
100kGarages began as a partnership between Ponoko and ShopBot Tools.
Consumers post projects on the site. Makers and professional manufacturer bid
to make them. Ponoko is a New Zealand-based aggregator of custom designs
and fabrication services that likes to describe itself as “The world's easiest
making system.” ShopBot Tools is based in the United States and makes and
sells CNC routing manufacturing machines.
