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Companies to invest in for 3d printing


5 3D Printing Stocks to Consider in 2022

Back in the early 2010s, stocks were booming for 3D printing -- also known as additive manufacturing, a computer-controlled process in which three-dimensional objects are made. But the boom was followed by a bust as many pure-play 3D printing companies didn't immediately deliver on lofty expectations.

Rumors of the manufacturing technology's demise are clearly premature. These days, 3D printing is a high-growth niche that is steadily reshaping the manufacturing and industrial sectors. Some estimates point to a doubling in annual revenue from additive manufacturing between 2022 and 2026. Even growth investor Cathie Wood has launched a fund focused on manufacturing tech, The 3D Printing ETF (NYSEMKT:PRNT), via her company ARK Invest.

Here's what you need to know about 3D printing and additive manufacturing stocks for 2022:

Image source: Getty Images.

Investing in 3D printing stocks

The manufacturing of products in all corners of the economy is being revolutionized by 3D printing, from healthcare equipment to metal fabrication to housing construction. It's invading so many sectors that tech giants such as Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT), Autodesk (NASDAQ:ADSK), and HP (NYSE:HPQ) have launched products aimed at 3D printing and additive manufacturing. Other engineering and software outfits such as Dassault Systemes (OTC:DASTY), ANSYS (NASDAQ:ANSS), and Trimble (NASDAQ:TRMB) have also gotten involved in 3D printing technology.   

Here are five key players to consider for 2022 that are a more focused bet on 3D printing:

Data source: YCharts. Market cap as of April 19, 2022.  
Company Market Cap Description
Desktop Metal (NYSE:DM) $1. 3 billion Recent IPO that focuses on metal fabrication technology.
Stratasys (NASDAQ:SSYS) $1.5 billion One of the original 3D printing pioneers, with a wide array of printers and supporting design software.
Xometry (NASDAQ:XMTR) $1.9 billion A manufacturing marketplace, including access to on-demand 3D printing services.
3D Systems (NYSE:DDD) $1.9 billion Another original 3D printing pioneer and the largest pure-play stock on 3D printing technology.
PTC (NASDAQ:PTC) $11.7 billion A manufacturing technology provider with a suite of software and related services for industrial businesses.

1. Desktop Metal

This company is a recent entry into the 3D printing space after going public via a SPAC at the end of 2020. The stock has been a terrible market underperformer since then, losing three-quarters of its value as of spring 2022. However, Desktop Metal could still be a promising investment for the long term.

As its name implies, Desktop Metal develops 3D printing hardware and accompanying design software for metal and carbon fiber parts. The company's smaller systems can handle prototyping and one-off parts, and larger printers are production grade-designed for manufacturing facilities. Desktop Metal serves companies operating in automotive, consumer goods, and heavy industrial equipment businesses.  

Despite a tenuous start as a public company, Desktop Metal was actually increasing revenue at a torrid triple-digit pace in 2021. Gross profit margins are thin, and the company generated a steep net loss, but that should improve over time as the business scales its operation. Desktop Metal also has several hundred million dollars in cash and investments to fund its expansion. It used some of these funds to acquire additive manufacturing peer ExOne at the end of 2021.  

2. Stratasys

Stratasys was part of the early 2010s 3D printing stock boom and bust, but its business has endured. Sales took a dip early in the COVID-19 pandemic but are rebounding as the Israel-based company picks up new manufacturing contracts.

Stratasys serves a diverse set of customers, including aerospace and automotive parts manufacturers, medical and dental companies, and makers of basic consumer products. In addition to a wide array of 3D printer models, Stratasys develops software to help users accelerate the time between design and final printing.  

It isn't the highest-growth name on this list, but Stratasys is profitable (on a free cash flow basis) and has more than $500 million in cash and investments on its balance sheet, as well as no debt. Management thinks its payoff from years of research and development into additive manufacturing will accelerate in 2022.

3. Xometry

This is another newcomer to public markets. Xometry completed its initial public offering (IPO) over the summer of 2021, raising almost $350 million in cash in the process. As is often the case with new IPOs, the stock has underperformed since then. It has lost over half of its value from the time it started trading on public markets, but the business itself is rapidly growing.

Xometry is a marketplace for on-demand manufacturing of prototyping and mass production. It has a network of more than 5,000 suppliers that companies can call on to meet their fabrication needs. Among the suppliers on the Xometry platform are 3D printing companies, injection molding, and automated machining. The company reported having more than 28,000 active buyers utilizing its platform at the end of 2021.

Although it isn't profitable yet, Xometry's unique approach to the 3D printing and additive manufacturing industry is growing fast. Like other names on this list, it has a sizable war chest of cash and short-term investments that it can spend on research and marketing as it tries to attract more suppliers and buyers to its marketplace.  

4. 3D Systems

3D Systems was another early player in the 3D printing industry, and while it suffered through the boom-and-bust period of the early 2010s, its business has held steady for much of the past decade. After a brief dip during the early days of the pandemic, 3D Systems is back in growth mode.  

The company develops printers and design software for all sorts of materials and industries (medical device makers, dental labs, semiconductor designers, aerospace, and automotive manufacturers). It claims leadership among independent 3D printing companies (as measured by sales). As the 3D printing industry expands in the coming years, 3D Systems thinks it will be able to attract lots of new business with its extensive experience and global reach.

As an established tech outfit in the manufacturing sector, 3D Systems offers investors the prospect of more stable growth, along with profitability. It also has a large net cash position from which it can consolidate its lead in 3D printers and software technology.

5. PTC

By far the largest company on this list, PTC is a longtime technology partner of manufacturing and industrial enterprises. Fast approaching $2 billion in annualized sales and highly profitable, PTC has all the tools needed to digitally transform industrial businesses.

Besides 3D printing computer-aided design software (ANSYS is a peer and software partner that also operates in this space), PTC specializes in augmented reality, industrial IoT (Internet of Things), and product life-cycle management software. Most of its revenue is subscription-based (including its Creo software that enables 3D printing), making for a stable and steadily growing business model that generates ample cash flow. PTC puts spare cash to work developing new products for its partners and makes bolt-on acquisitions of other software companies that enhance its overall portfolio.  

As a larger company, PTC won't be the fastest-growing stock in the additive manufacturing and 3D printing space. However, the company has established itself as a leader in industrial technology and should be a primary beneficiary as the production of manufactured goods gets more efficient.

The future of 3D printing

Manufacturing technology is making inroads throughout the global economy by reducing the cost of production and localizing and speeding up the time it takes to deliver customer orders. This is far from mere hype. Nevertheless, as is the case with all technology investments, progress won't go straight up. Expect twists and turns in these stocks as they develop new methods to design and make products.

If you decide to invest, do so in a measured way. Maintain a diversified portfolio, be wary of stocks benefiting from investor over-optimism, and always leave spare cash to invest more when there are inevitable dips. Given enough time -- years and decades -- investing in 3D printing could eventually provide a big payoff.

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Nicholas Rossolillo has positions in Autodesk and PTC. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Autodesk, HP, and Microsoft. The Motley Fool recommends 3D Systems, ANSYS, Dassault Systemes, PTC, and Trimble Inc. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

Top 3D Printing Stocks for Q4 2022

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

  • Best Value 3D Printing Stocks

  • Fastest Growing 3D Printing Stocks

  • 3D Printing Stocks With the Best Performance

SSYS is top for value and performance and NNDM is top for growth

By

Noah Bolton

Full Bio

Noah has about a year of freelance writing experience. He's worked on his investing website dealing with topics such as the stock market and financial advice for beginners.

Learn about our editorial policies

Updated October 06, 2022

The 3D printing industry is made up of companies that provide products and services capable of manufacturing a range of products. 3D printing, also known as additive manufacturing, creates physical objects from digital designs. The printing process works by laying down thin layers of material in the form of liquid or powdered plastic, metal, or cement, and then fusing the layers together. Though still too slow for mass production, it is a revolutionary technology that has the potential to disrupt the manufacturing logistics and inventory management industries. The 3D printing industry is comprised of only a handful of companies, including players such as Proto Labs Inc., Faro Technologies Inc., and Desktop Metal Inc.

The industry is so young that it has no meaningful benchmark index. But the performance of these stocks can be compared to the broader market as represented by the Russell 1000 Index. These stocks have not performed well. Stratasys Ltd. (SSYS), the best performing 3D printing stock, has dramatically underperformed the Russell 1000, which has provided a total return of -12.5% over the past 12 months. This market performance number and all statistics in the tables below are as of Sept. 20, 2022.

Here are the top three 3D printing stocks with the best value, fastest sales growth, and the best performance.

These are the 3D printing stocks with the lowest 12-month trailing price-to-sales (P/S) ratio. For companies in early stages of development or industries suffering from major shocks, this metric can be substituted as a rough measure of a business's value. A business with higher sales could eventually produce more profit when it achieves (or returns to) profitability. The price-to-sales ratio shows how much you're paying for the stock for each dollar of sales generated.

Best Value 3D Printing Stocks
  Price ($) Market Cap ($B) 12-Month Trailing P/S Ratio
Stratasys Ltd. (SSYS) 15.49 1.0 1.6
3D Systems Corp. (DDD) 9.00 1.2 2.0
Proto Labs Inc. (PRLB) 37.49 1.0 2.1

Source: YCharts

  • Stratasys Ltd.: Stratasys offers 3D printing solutions, such as 3D printers, polymer materials, a software ecosystem, and related parts. It serves a variety of industries, including aerospace, automotive, consumer products, and healthcare. On Sept. 13, Stratasys completed the merger of its MakerBot subsidiary with Ultimaker, which offers platforms used to make 3-D printers. Ultimaker is backed by NPM Capital. The merged company will keep the Ultimaker name and focus on providing solutions, hardware, software and materials to the industry. NPM Capital will have majority ownership of the new company at 53.5%, and Stratasys will own 46.5%.
  • 3D Systems Corp.: 3D Systems provides 3D printing solutions. The company offers a range of hardware, software, and materials designed for additive manufacturing. Its products and services are used in a variety of industries and sectors, including aerospace, automotive, semiconductor, healthcare, and more.
  • Proto Labs Inc.: Proto Labs is an e-commerce-based company that provides digital manufacturing services. It offers 3D printing, injection molding, CNC machining, and sheet metal fabrication. On Aug. 5, Proto Labs announced financial results for Q2 2022, the three-month period ending on June 30, 2022. Net income fell more than 80% to $2.6 million from the prior-year quarter while revenue rose 3.1%.

These are the 3D printing stocks with the highest YOY sales growth for the most recent quarter. Rising sales can help investors identify companies that are able to grow revenue organically or through other means and find growing companies that have not yet reached profitability. In addition, accounting factors that may not reflect the overall strength of the business can significantly influence earnings per share. However, sales growth can also be potentially misleading about the strength of a business, because growing sales on money-losing businesses can be harmful if the company has no plan to reach profitability.

Fastest Growing 3D Printing Stocks
  Price ($) Market Cap ($B) Revenue Growth (%)
Nano Dimension Ltd. (NNDM) 2.45 0.6 1,270
Desktop Metal Inc. (DM) 3.07 1.0 203.9
Stratasys Ltd. (SSYS) 15.49 1.0 13.3

Source: YCharts

  • Nano Dimension Ltd.: Nano Dimension is an Israel-based 3D printing company focused on developing equipment and software for 3D-printed electronics. It develops printers for multilayer printed circuit boards and nanotechnology-based inks. The company serves a range of industries, including consumer electronics, healthcare, aerospace, and automotive. On Sept. 1, Nano Dimension released Q2 2022 results. The company's net loss widened sharply to $40.0 million from a loss of $13.6 million in the same quarter a year earlier even as revenue soared more than 13-fold. The larger second-quarter loss was fueled partly by $10.9 million in non-cash adjustments for depreciation and amortization expenses, and share-based payments.
  • Desktop Metal Inc.: Desktop Metal manufactures 3D printers and related equipment used to build complex parts from metal. It also offers 3D printing software. The company serves a range of industries, including automotive, consumer products, education, and heavy industry. On Aug. 08, the company reported Q2 2022 results. Desktop Metals' net loss increase nearly seven-fold to $297.3 million compared to the same quarter a year earlier even as revenue tripled.
  • Stratasys Ltd. : See above for company description.

These are the 3D printing stocks that had the smallest declines in total return over the past 12 months out of the companies we looked at.

3D Printing Stocks With the Best Performance
  Price ($) Market Cap ($B) 12-Month Trailing Total Return (%)
Stratasys Ltd. (SSYS) 15.49 1.0 -34.5
Proto Labs Inc. (PRLB) 37.49 1.0 -50.6
Materialise NV (MTLS) 10.95 0.6 -53.9
Russell 1000 N/A N/A -12.5

Source: YCharts

  • Stratasys Ltd.: See above for company description.
  • Proto Labs Inc.: See above for company description.
  • Materialise NV: Materialise is a Belgium-based provider of additive manufacturing software and 3D printing services. It serves a range of industries, including healthcare, aerospace, and automotive. On Sept. 7, Materialise completed its acquisition of Identity3D, which makes products that encrypt, distribute, and track digital parts as they move through supply-chains. The value of the deal was not specified in the announcement.

The comments, opinions, and analyses expressed herein are for informational purposes only and should not be considered individual investment advice or recommendations to invest in any security or to adopt any investment strategy. Though we believe the information provided herein is reliable, we do not warrant its accuracy or completeness. The views and strategies described in our content may not be suitable for all investors. Because market and economic conditions are subject to rapid change, all comments, opinions, and analyses contained within our content are rendered as of the date of the posting and may change without notice. The material is not intended as a complete analysis of every material fact regarding any country, region, market, industry, investment, or strategy.

Article Sources

Investopedia requires writers to use primary sources to support their work. These include white papers, government data, original reporting, and interviews with industry experts. We also reference original research from other reputable publishers where appropriate. You can learn more about the standards we follow in producing accurate, unbiased content in our editorial policy.

  1. YCharts. "Financial Data."

  2. Stratasys Ltd. "Stratasys Completes Merger of MakerBot with Ultimaker."

  3. Proto Labs Inc. "Proto Labs Q2 2022 Earnings Release."

  4. Nano Dimension Ltd. "Earnings Press Release for Q2 2022."

  5. Desktop Metals Inc. " Desktop Metals Second Quarter 2022 Earnings."

  6. Materialise NV. "Materialise Acquires Indenity3D."

Largest listed companies in the 3D printing sector

3D printing dates back to the late 1980s. At the end of 2018, the size of the 3D printing market, according to various estimates, reached from $9 trillion to $10 trillion. Calculations were made based on the cost of producing printers, components and 3D printing.

In the coming years, expert agencies (IMARC, Inkwood Reasearch, Marketwatch, etc.) predict a steady growth of at least 20% per year. In this scenario, by the end of 2025, the scale of the entire 3D printing segment will reach at least $ 32 trillion - 3.5 times higher than the current values. nine0003

The outlook for the sector makes it attractive to investors. Consider the largest and most stable companies in this segment, whose shares can be considered for purchase and take their rightful place in your portfolio.

1. HP Inc Capitalization: $29.3 billion

HP manufactures computers, printers, tablets and a number of other devices. The release of 3D printers is not the main specialization of the company, but HP occupies one of the leading positions in the 3D printing segment. In 2014, the company developed the Multi Jet Fusion technology, which allowed to increase productivity and reduce the cost of professional (industrial) 3D printers. The technology has been successfully applied in mass production of printers since 2016.

In 2017, HP opens the world's first 3D lab, equipped with printers in various build states and essential tools for device experimentation. The company has opened up the first opportunities to test new materials in 3D printers to increase efficiency.

In 2018, HP will open a joint manufacturing center with China's Guangdong in Guangdong, China, which is the largest such 3D printing project in Asia Pacific and Japan. The facility is equipped with ten high-tech next-generation HP Metal Jet printers to produce parts and prototypes for industrial customers. nine0003

2. Proto L abs (NYSE: PRLB). Capitalization: $2.56 billion

The company was founded in 1999 and has more than 10 production sites in seven countries. The head office is located in Minnesota. The company specializes in the production of parts for other manufacturing companies. The corporation positions itself as the fastest in the world in the production of custom prototypes and finished parts for industrial customers. In 2014, Proto Labs launched 3D printed parts. nine0003

In addition to 3D printing, the company produces CNC (Computer Numerical Control) parts, injection molding and sheet metal parts. In 2015, Proto Labs bought Alphaform (specializing in innovative 3D printing) with divisions in Germany, Finland and the UK. This allowed the company to expand its 3D printing business in Europe. To diversify its business and introduce sheet metal manufacturing, the company acquired Rapid Manufacturing in 2017 for $120 million. 9 Systems ( NYSE: DDD). Capitalization: $1.01 billion

3D Systems was founded by inventor Chuck Hull in 1986 as the world's first 3D printing company. It produces 3D printers and components, including software, and also designs them. The company provides services at various stages of design, development and production of products for many large industries, including aerospace, automotive, medical, entertainment and other areas. It should be noted that the corporation also works with retail consumers. Business diversification within the 3D segment makes the company financially stable. nine0003

3D Systems is headquartered in Rock Hill, South Carolina, USA. The number of employees of the company exceeds 2600 (as of the end of 2018), which is twice as high as five years ago.

4. Stratasys ( NASDAQ: SSYS). Capitalization: $0.98 billion

The company was founded in 1989 by Scott Crump. The technology was based on the idea of ​​creating the shape of a figure by layering after Scott decided in 1988 to make a toy for his daughter using a gun filled with glue. At 1992 Stratasys released its first 3D Modeler product.

Today, Stratasys manufactures industrial and desktop 3D printers and related accessories. The range of services includes installation, maintenance and training in working with printers. The company serves various industries by developing technologies for the production of prototypes and parts. The first public offering of Stratasys shares took place in 1994 at $5 per share and a total volume of $5.7 million. The head office is located in Minnesota. nine0003

5. Materialize Capitalization: $0.88 billion

Incorporated in 1990 in Leuven, Belgium, Materialise specializes in 3D printing services and 3D printer software. Like other leaders in this sector, Materialize works with various major manufacturers around the world (Adidas, HP), but a significant share of the business is in cooperation with medical centers and institutions. The company's portfolio includes more than 150 medical patents. Materialize offices are located in 18 countries, including one office located in the CIS in Ukraine. nine0003

Issuer Comparison

The most valuable company among the leaders is HP, which is due to the scale and diversification of the company's business in the entire technology segment. 3D Systems, Stratasys and Materialize specialize exclusively in the 3D printing segment, while their capitalization is on the same level. Proto Labs has three businesses besides 3D printing and is in the middle of our list in terms of capitalization.


The most undervalued company in terms of EV/EBITDA is HP, but it is not correct to compare it with other issuers by this multiplier due to the differentiation of the company's products and services. 3D Systems has the highest EV/EBITDA, and from this point of view, the paper is not so attractive to buy. Moreover, over the past four years, 3D Systems shares have been in a stable sideways trend without technical prerequisites for growth. nine0003

The remaining three companies, in our opinion, may be of interest. At the same time, if your long-term goal is to get the maximum increase from the growth of the 3D printing sector, then investing in HP shares is less preferable compared to other securities. After all, the reaction of the shares of companies with a direct specialization is more sensitive to changes in the sector. Below are the consensus forecasts of investment houses according to Reuters, according to which Stratasys (14.9%) and Materialize (13.6%) shares have the greatest potential now. nine0003

HP Inc (NYSE: HPQ): $20.5 (+3.4%)
Proto Labs (NYSE: PRLB): $98.7 (+3.0%)
3D Systems (NYSE: DDD): $8 .6 (+0.6%)
Stratasys (NASDAQ: SSYS): $20.8 (+14.9%)
Materialize (NASDAQ: MLTS): $19.2 (+13.6%)

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Overview of leading companies in the provision of 3D printing services / Habr

I got the impression that in Russia there is a stereotype that there are only two ways to make money on 3d printers:
1) Become a dealer of an international company / set up the production of your own 3d printers
2) buy several 3d printers and take orders from architects/doctors/military

This post will focus on the fact that there are many more opportunities, the "entry price" to this market for an individual designer person is lower than it seems, and the future, which is distributed/distributed unevenly and not entirely in Russia, is already here.

Under the cut you will find a brief overview of the three giants of the European and American 3d printing industry, which do not specialize in the production of their own 3d printers, but develop communities, create a "marketplace", act as platforms for startups, designers, etc. After the review of the "big three" follows a review of the most interesting projects created around these giants. nine0003

Some projects are commented by Konstantin Ivanov (consst), who attended European (3DPrintShow) and American (Inside 3D Printing) conferences.

Three giants in 3D printing marketplaces from USA and Europe

www.shapeways.com
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shapeways
The company, organized in 2007 in the Netherlands (originates from the Philips business incubator), but is headquartered in New York. The company employs 90 people. At the moment, it has attracted about $40 million in investments. It has two full-fledged productions in the Netherlands and in New York. The number of ordered products has exceeded one million. nine0003

Konstantin: “World and US market leader Shapeways. Successfully located its head office in Queens, NY, becoming a Mecca among the creative people. For a pretty decent history of its existence, Shapeways has gathered a huge community of designers, at the end of 2013 - 300,000 people. Of course, the number of active and prolific designers is much smaller, but the total number and products on the marketplace cannot fail to impress.

With each of the active designers, Shapeways community managers (they are usually called community managers, which is rather rare in Russia so far) work a lot, communicate, and help resolve any issues: high-quality photography of products, placement on the marketplace, correction of 3d models. In general, the community is the heart of Shapeways. nine0003

The huge knowledge base they have collected on the forum and in the Tutorials sections on the site allows you to find the answer to almost any question that arises when working with 3d models for printing. Storehouse of knowledge.

Some of the people from Shapeways (former community managers, production managers) are already creating their own separate businesses in the field of 3d printing. Shapeways encourages and develops an entrepreneurial culture.

However, competitors really, really dislike Shapeways for dumping the market. Indeed, their prices for 3d printing from many different materials are almost always lower than competitors from Europe. They can afford it, with so many investments involved)

Shapeways have created and are developing an excellent powerful API for developers of various online 3d model customizers, which can also be made through them. As a result, in addition to the marketplace, they work as a production and API, which is very convenient.

They have completely stopped delivering to Russia since last year, citing problems at customs. By the way, I must say that the experience of ordering 3D printing from them in NY is also not ideal: they missed the delivery time for samples, I had to write to support, but the issue was quickly resolved. ” nine0003

Some videos and articles in English for a deeper understanding

Video about the company. Keanu Reeves is there too.


Number of unique items made from 2008 to 2013

Founder Peter Weijmarshausen

Forbes article (10/10/2011)
Wired article by Bruce Sterling (10/3/2011)
BusinessInsider article (12/19/2012)

Petermarijhausen speech TechCrunch

Another performance by Peter Weijmarshausen



www.sculpteo.com
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sculpteo
French startup, launched in 2009. Raised several million investments, has a small fleet of its equipment
Strengths: a very interesting online service, with the ability to not only analyze your model, but also prepare it online for printing. There is a mobile application 3DPcase

Konstantin: “French guys who started after Shapeways was on the market. Small team, own small production (industrial 3d printers) in Paris.

Like many other players in the market, part of their production capacity is outsourced. This is quite logical, since to control a huge production, including from metals, ceramics, etc. - Pretty messy story.

Quite often you can meet them at exhibitions. The last time, while talking with them at 3DPrintShow in London and Inside3DPrinting in New York, the guys shared their opinion on the pace of market development in Europe and the USA and a little more about competition in Europe, where Shapeways is also actively going. nine0003

The main focus of Sculpteo's development is applications, their own online software for calculating, correcting and even preparing 3d models for printing. This is very impressive, none of the competitors do this. For comparison, Shapeways uses only half of its software, the second part is Netfabb's software.

Sculpteo is great for those who are already quite proficient with 3d models and use 3d printing for prototyping.

The team is also developing its API. Delivery to Russia, according to the director of the company Clement, they do, but in fact this is not possible.” nine0107 Once they kept their blog on Habré, with some quite useful articles, for example, a translation of an article about the “Industrial Revolution” 1, 2, 3, 4, 5.

Konstantin: has an office both in Belgium and, for example, in Ukraine. The main activity is prototyping of industrial, engineering, medical, aviation, etc. products.

However, the company also has its own consumer direction, which was named i.Materialise. The marketplace and community are also being developed. If you look closely, they very much follow the example of their American colleagues, up to copying interface elements, which is quite logical - the usability in Shapeways is really very good. nine0003

Recently launched the so-called Boutiques, separate shops for selected designers. Continue their movement to the consumer segment.

A number of important advantages: its large production with the most experienced staff and a large number of different technologies, printers and post-processing. Completely own software that works well with models (but no better than Sculpteo does). And, of course, the API, which they are actively developing and connecting more and more partners to it. nine0003

I also offer a white label option for companies that don't want their customers to know exactly where their products are made.”


A little video about projects Materialise

Video with TED (in English)

How the largest stereolithographic machine

Print clothing



How to earn on 3D-printing no 3D.

Aggregators:
3DHubs.com - allow owners to register their 3d printer in the database. Thus, it becomes possible for any person to find either the nearest 3d printer, or exactly the printer that is needed (all over the world). nine0107 Plus, they can collect useful statistics and publish monthly trend reports. They take a commission of 15-20%

Konstantin: “One of the investors from a London fund introduced me to the founders of a fairly recent startup 3dhubs, who also invested in the company. Brian and Bram came up with and are making a great international story that actually makes life easier for those who need to print something “close to home”.

The service works all over the world and even a little in Russia. The guys are attentive to the customer service inside, help each client if one of the hub owners has problems with printing. Very comfortably. nine0003

Coming to each new city or exhibition, they do the so-called unlock of the city and open new hubs with printers there. So it was at the exhibition in London last year.”


makeXYZ.com
Texas Entrepreneurs Project. Allows you to search for 3d printers and 3d designers. Received investment from Intel.

Standing on the shoulders of giants

www.sols.co
Allows you to create personalized insoles.

Konstantin: “A great example of how, growing inside a small start-up company, Sols founder Kegan Schouwenburg caught the entrepreneurial spirit and started her own project to produce custom orthopedic insoles made using 3d printing!

Kegan was one of the people who did the entire Shapeways production from scratch, which is a really big job.

Her company has now raised about $8 million in funding from the same investors who invested in Shapeways and is actively building its business. At the same time, he uses polyamide (nylon) for the manufacture of the base for the insoles and makes all samples using Shapeways. Proper collaboration and collaboration.” nine0003

mixeelabs.com
An online application that allows you to create figurines ($25), molecules, key chains for dogs, cufflinks and wallets for cards.

Konstantin: “Second success story in the 3d printing business, also from a former Shapeways employee. Nancy Yi Liang is the founder of product customizer Mixeelabs, who makes money from his brainchild and lives in New York.

At our last meeting with her, she told how well things are going with the sale of her products from the site (80% of sales), a little worse from the Shapeaways marketplace (20% of sales), but at the same time, the very first viral effect gave her the same Sad Keanu, which she invented and distributed perfectly everywhere. nine0003

Her project is a great example of how, having come up with an interesting and rather viral thing, you can earn money on it in the long run.”

joshharker.com
Joshua Harker — Artist, sculptor, musician, digital adventurer, imagination architect, troublemaker

Konstantin: later he went into business, opened his own company, developed his own unique and recognizable style (which was later copied by many others) and showed how to effectively apply new design approaches to 3d printing. nine0002 I could not resist and decided that the worse we are, we will make one for ourselves. Here is the result:



www.minetoys.com
For all Minecraft fans. Prints your character from the game.

www.twikit.com
The service allows you to customize gifts and jewelry made of plastic and metal.

n-e-r-v-o-u-s.com

Konstantin: “Nervous are practically gods in 3D printing design, they come up with new shapes and structures and constantly impress. nine0107 In addition to the beautiful futuristic design, they came up with an incredible online thing that creates amazing kinetic structures right in the browser, right in front of you. All this is flexible and allows you to actually make wearable objects made using 3D printing.

Photos of works from Nervous System

Octopussy that I printed a year ago (report on Habré)


Blokify. com
A mobile application that makes it very easy to create a 3d model and send it to print. Convenient for working with children.

Video and a couple of photos


draw


materialize


WhiteClouds.com
»Submit your ideas (even on a napkin). We will bring them to life."

The company does not require its customers to be able to handle a computer: you can send a simple sketch made by hand, and the company's specialists will turn it into a digital three-dimensional model, print it on a 3D printer and send the finished product to the customer. Once, they even sent a cardboard model to the company, asking them to print a copy on a 3d printer, and the order was completed. nine0107

Portfolio under the spoiler

A little zombie:

Russian projects

The following picture speaks eloquently about the state of affairs in Russia:

3D Printing Map of the World

a parable on the topic

One company once sent a shoe salesman to an African city. nine0107 Shortly after arriving in Africa, he wrote to the office:
“You can take me back. Here everyone walks barefoot.
They returned him to his homeland.

Then they sent another shoe seller.
Almost immediately upon arrival, he sends an urgent telegram to the office:
“Send all the shoes you have. Here everyone walks barefoot!

zdravprint.ru
A service for the creation of individual fixators, which are printed on a 3D printer and are designed to replace plaster at certain stages of recovery. nine0107

Konstantin: “My good friend Fedor Aptekarev at the last Yandex Startup Camp launched a project to create plaster using 3d printing. With such a cast, the fracture can be endured a little easier.”
What the future holds for us

Me : Konstantin, while collecting materials for this post, I came across some skeptical statements by highly respected people (for example, the director of Epson) about the future of 3d printing, but you, in turn, You have been actively developing this industry in Russia for a year already, holding training seminars, developing a community, holding competitions for designers, planning to launch an API for your project, what is the basis for your confidence that this is worth doing? nine0107 Konstantin: Glad you asked. Let's clarify what exactly the head of Epson said. Something like this: “There is no big future for plastic 3D printing at home. We will only make commercial 3D printers.” He talks about building an industrial design printer. Epson itself is going to develop industrial printers. And I completely agree with them.

In my opinion, industrial 3d printing technologies, which we also use, can really bring 3d printing to a new consumer level. Here you need to immediately make a reservation that the head of Epson is talking about home printing, but he only means FDM technology (plastic filament melting), as the most popular home 3d printing technology. At the same time, do not forget that after the end of the patent for SLA technology (stereolithography), for example, a completely “home” Formlabs 1 printer appeared, which gives a very acceptable quality. Yes, of course, it can not be compared with the industrial one. nine0003

I'm talking about the fact that rather than home 3d printing, there is no future, but FDM technology. She will live herself. It is suitable for too narrow an application and the quality is very, very low.

I am sure that what we are doing now will create (and is already creating it abroad) a new market and new opportunities for consumers and designers, will speed up the solution of many problems and, of course, will become more accessible. Confidence is fully confirmed by the facts, the results of communication with colleagues from abroad and in Russia, and, of course, by the numbers, which are constantly growing. nine0003

Me: Konstantin, having talked to the CEO of the world's leading companies and "having been in the future for a bit", what will the world expect in the coming years?
Konstantin: In the very near future, I can say with full confidence, the following awaits us:
- the widespread integration of the "print on a 3d printer" button into all conceivable and unthinkable applications, programs, games, and so on. We will print both in 3d printing services and for enthusiasts on home 3d printers

- the end of patents for the main industrial 3d printing technologies (SLA (already), SLS, 3DP, DMLS) will lead to a more serious development of smaller and less expensive printers, respectively, the growth of both industrial technologies and quality will also skyrocket

- Google , actively introducing 3D scanners into their phones, will also contribute to the growth of the market, since many people will have the most important thing for the market - a model for printing.

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