Now sure if this is the first, and if fact I would be surprised if it was, but here is a cool service called Shapeways that not only lets you create your own 3D models, but you can buy and sell models as well.  This is pretty good. If I’m going to go through the trouble to create a 3d model, I’m going to want to see if other people will want it as well. Whats really impressive here is the number of materials.  Clearly I have not been keeping up, did not know a consumer level service could support so many materials. I have to guess they have spend  a good deal of their round A money on it. 🙂  I posted the materials list and prices at the end of this post.

CEO Peter Weijmarshausen said last year that the plan was to create a number of these manufacturing hubs in key spots around the county to not only save on shipping but allow better response time and community connection. Sounds good, but its the marketplace that really interests me. I can see this becoming the real popular part of the service.  Sure its cool to know you can create your own things, but how many people out there have a copy of 3DStudioMax much less know how to use it to create CAM level quality models?  Not many I would guess.  Even more so, I used to create CAM level models and I have a hard time imagining I’m going to do this.  But this does not matter.  All you need is few really good designers to populate the store and your there. Or better, I could take a 3D model download it, tweak a few things and then sent it to print.

Check out this video below..

Need to create a personal gift? How about a custom container where you type the words?

 

Materials comparison sheet

• Shapeways offers several production and material options for printing and is continually working on adding new ones.
• Please note: the pricing is based on the actual amount of material used in your final object.
• The size of the bounding box, complexity of the model or amount of support material are not relevant for the price.
• There are no extra shipping costs, shipping is included in the price and we ship worldwide.
• Each material has its own properties and price – use the table below to select the right material for your project:
• Check out our materials sample kit

 

Name	Image (click to enlarge)	Production method	Color	Strength	Minimum detail	Minimum wall thickness	Maximum size (H x W x D)	Heat resistance	Price per cm³
Alumide		SLS	Grey with speckles	Moderate	0.4 mm	1.5 mm	31x23x18cm	172 ºF	$1.99 + $1.50 startup costs
Ceramics		Ceramics 3D Printing + Glazing	Shiny White + High Gloss White & Black**	Brittle	2 mm	3 mm	23x15x9cm	1000 ºC	$0.18/cm2 surface area
Milky White Matte Glass		Glass 3D printing	Milky White + High Gloss White & Black**	Brittle	0.2 mm	3 mm	7.5×7.5×7.5cm	500 ºF	$5.99 + $5.00 startup costs
Full Color Sandstone		Zcorp	Full color + Sandstone	Delicate	1.0 mm	3 mm	25x38x20cm	140 ºF	$0.99 + $1.50 startup costs
White, Strong & Flexible  (see special rulesfor larger WSF designs)		SLS	Bright White + Black* Red* Indigo* Grey*	Highest	0.2 mm	0.7 mm	70x38x58cm for white  23x18x31cm for other colors	80/176 ºF	$1.50 + $1.50 startup costs
Transparent Detail		Objet	Semi- transparent	Moderate	0.2 mm	1 mm	49x39x20cm	48/118.4 ºF	$2.77
White Detail		Objet	White	Moderate	0.2 mm	1 mm	49x39x20cm	48/118.4 ºF	$2.89
Black Detail		Objet	Black	Moderate	0.2 mm	1 mm	49x39x20cm	47/116.6 ºF	$2.90
Frosted Detail & Frosted Ultra Detail		Multijet Modeling (MJM)	Frosty	Moderate to Strong	0.2mm (FD), 0.1mm (FUD)	0.5mm (FD), 0.3mm (FUD)	298x185x203mm (FD), 127x178x152mm (FUD)	softens at 80 ºC	$2.89/cm3 (FD), $4.39/cm3 (FUD)
Stainless Steel		Metal 3D printing	Steel + Gold Plated & Bronze***	Highest	1.0 mm	3 mm	100x45x25cm	831/1527.8 ºF	$10.00**
Silver		3D Wax Printing + Casting	Silver	High	.3 mm	.6 mm****	15x15x3cm****	850 ºC	$40 flat fee for first cm3, $20/cm3 after first cm3. $10 for high gloss finish.
Grey Robust		FDM	Grey	High	2 mm	1 mm	25x25x30cm	127/260 ºF	$2.50

* The price per dyed model is $4 (ex sales tax) start up costs and $1.99 ($1.78 for Night Black) (ex sales tax) per cubic centimeter of material you use for your model.
** High Gloss White and High Gloss Black are $5 start up cost + $6.99cm³
*** For prices of Gold Plated and Antique Bronze please refer to the relevant material page.
**** Dependent on the design, for more information see Silver Design Rules