Shapeways update

[etendam]

The new company Manuevo will print 3D parts  in the range of materials as they did before under the Shapeways brand as an 3d printing service.

 

Designers can order their own 3D prints and sell them in their OWN company.  So it will NOT be a marketplace where designers drop their designs  and wait for the buyers to come by. The financial risks will go back to the designers that start their own business!

 

Ed

[Quarryscapes]

Really happy to see EIndhoven carrying on, as I've bleated on ad nauseum - they are the best at SLS. Will be interesting to see how prices are affected now they're no longer beholden to the US company and the marketplace has been removed. 

[spsmiler]

will be interesting to see which former Shapeways people uses them

 

also, if we are buying from the designers does it mean that they import the goods and send them on to us or will things still be sent from Holland? I ask with thoughts on the VAT / import duty issues  

[chris p bacon]

7 hours ago, spsmiler said:

will be interesting to see which former Shapeways people uses them

 

also, if we are buying from the designers does it mean that they import the goods and send them on to us or will things still be sent from Holland? I ask with thoughts on the VAT / import duty issues  

 

That looks to be the business model, They will be printed then sent back to the designer.

[spsmiler]

potentially very restrictive, for instance, some of the people i bought from were based in the USA and it was easy because their goods could be sent straight to me from Holland.

 

Having goods sent to the USA and then to me would add much extra cost - postage / carriage, as well as customs fees, etc.

[Mike Harvey]

7 hours ago, spsmiler said:

potentially very restrictive, for instance, some of the people i bought from were based in the USA and it was easy because their goods could be sent straight to me from Holland.

 

Having goods sent to the USA and then to me would add much extra cost - postage / carriage, as well as customs fees, etc.

Without the Shapeways marketplace, you would not even know that the model existed. So the marketing of the design needs to be approached completely differently and does not need to involve the Shapeways printing works at all.

[stewartingram]

I've got noted a small number of models that were available to be printed by Shapeways, but most (not all) were listed on the small supplier's websites. They are not models I was about to order, but I've put them on my "Favourites" list on Edge, ready for me to order in the future. I have no desire to trawl through the sites to find if they are presently available - I'm taking a wait and see approach. But if I do decide to order one, I do wonder what the new options will be, let alone the new price.

[81E]

On 18/07/2024 at 08:19, maridunian said:

I'm still looking into ways to resume selling physical models, but have bitten the bullet of selling designs for now. 

 

I chose Cults3D as host. They charge 20% on sales, whereas MyMiniFactory charge $24.99 a month for a shop. There's Etsy too (it's complicated).

 

Early sales are promising but as has been pointed out, could be one-offs with my designs now released into the wild ....

 

I have been approached by a wargames printer about physical sales. Their figurines can be very complex, so I see that as a positive qualification when thinking about them printing our boxes and tubes!

 

Mike 

 

Hello Mike,

I've started to upload my Stafford Road Model Works files onto I.materialise who do allow you to sell things on their site so am gradually rebuilding a shop. (https://i.materialise.com/en/shop/designer/stafford-road-model-works)

 

Unfortunately, there are two hitches with this, the first is that they will not let you sell a product until you have successfully printed it with them, the second is their wall thickness criteria is much stricter. Consequently I am having to re-work some of models to get them to print or change material.

 

As a trial I've printed a modified version my GWR Dean 8'6" bogies (my most popular) which are now up for sale and ordered a version of my Dean 6'4" bogies both for the Hornby/Triang short clerestory.

 

Another thing with IM is, aside from having a minimum order value, the lowest price for a item in some materials is higher than Shapeways. However, I've got round this by modifying my virtual model so that it contains two bogies which is only a few pence dearer than one!

 

 

[maridunian]

Thanks. The print-with-us-first condition of I-materialise ruled them out for me - I already have (Shapeways) prints of most of my 80-odd designs, so can't face (or afford!) replicating those!

 

In the month I've been using Cults there have been 44 downloads. I don't know if that's sustainable - there are only so many modellers interested in certain periods/regions, but it's interesting to sit back and observe.

 

Mike

Edited August 17 by maridunian

[298]

On 17/07/2024 at 19:25, 3rdboxcar said:

 

I agree with you Bill, whilst I am not averse to sharing stl files once you have released them you have no control over them, I gave a file to somebody that had a printer, that was the last I heard from him till found out he was selling my models!

 

 

I have a few things on Cults for free and so far haven't been plagiarised, if anything I'd rather see someone using my files for good use. The only thing that has annoyed me so far was about a day after I posted a photo on a Traction group of some of my custom decals I'd applied to my GE Hershey Steeplecab, one of the regular vendors had lettered one of his less than accurate prints with wonky rub-down lettering and claimed that he was now stocking the same model! 

 

@3rdboxcar message sent regarding your battery Steeplecab.

 

[Mikkel]

On 17/08/2024 at 12:20, 81E said:

Unfortunately, there are two hitches with this, the first is that they will not let you sell a product until you have successfully printed it with them

 

As a customer, I would not expect less!

 

Edited August 22 by Mikkel

[81E]

On 15/07/2024 at 14:17, 3rdboxcar said:

Well it is pretty definite, I just got my creditors notice from a firm of solicitors in Wilmington DE this morning handling the bankruptcy with passcodes for a zoom meeting being held in early August.

How did you get your notice and what is happening as I have not heard anything. Is their a way of lodging a claim for unsupplied goods or monies owed from sales?

[81E]

On 17/08/2024 at 23:06, maridunian said:

Thanks. The print-with-us-first condition of I-materialise ruled them out for me - I already have (Shapeways) prints of most of my 80-odd designs, so can't face (or afford!) replicating those!

 

In the month I've been using Cults there have been 44 downloads. I don't know if that's sustainable - there are only so many modellers interested in certain periods/regions, but it's interesting to sit back and observe.

 

Mike

I sympathize with your plight concerning IM's print with us first and face exactly the same problem with financing. First and foremost my Stafford Road Models was never meant to be a business. All the models I created were originally things that I wanted and i just made them available for others.

 

OK I admit to adding a very modest markup, but if you consider I was spending around £100 a month and only getting around £30 per quarter back (if I was lucky) I was never going to cover my costs let alone break even.

 

Consequently the only thing that are likely to get transferred will also be those I need more of like the coach bogies, but am unlikely to re-do the buildings and some of the 009 is doubtful.

Edited August 31 by 81E

[maridunian]

4 hours ago, 81E said:

I sympathize with your plight concerning IM's print with us first and face exactly the same problem with financing. First and foremost my Stafford Road Models was never meant to be a business. All the models I created were originally things that I wanted and i just made them available for others.

 

OK I admit to adding a very modest markup, but if you consider I was spending around £100 a month and only getting around £30 per quarter back (if I was lucky) I was never going to cover my costs let alone break even.

 

Consequently the only thing that are likely to get transferred will also be those I need more of like the coach bogies, but am unlikely to re-do the buildings and some of the 009 is doubtful.

 

There's an upside to this 'wild west' 3D sector, which is that designers aren't bound by exclusivity clauses.

 

There's no reason not to sell designs to people who can sort out their own printing whilst also offering a complete service through I-materialise, etc.

 

This is especially useful for niche items which might sell once in a blue moon, if ever.

 

Mike

 

 

Edited August 31 by maridunian

[5D_Stoke]

On 30/08/2024 at 22:56, 81E said:

How did you get your notice and what is happening as I have not heard anything. Is their a way of lodging a claim for unsupplied goods or monies owed from sales?

I have also heard nothing so far from Shapeways, although I am only owed $10.34 from recent sales so am a very long way down the pecking order and am unlikely to see a penny (or cent). Fortunately I was paid quite recently, just before the current financial trouble.
Over the last few days I have been accessing the site to laboriously download all the text from my models offered for sale, as a lot of work went into that, and it will be lost if the Shapeways site becomes inaccessible again. Are they still actually trading? It appears that models can be ordered as usual but I have not actually tried to follow this through. If they take customers' money, will any orders place now stand any chance of being fulfilled, I wonder?
It is very frustrating if Shapeways and its business model disappears completely as there is no other supplier offering the complete website/ordering/payment/printing/quality control/shipping package. I may end up home printing some designs and shipping them myself but the number of material options will be very limited and I have not got time to do many.

Edited September 2 by 5D_Stoke

[maridunian]

11 hours ago, 5D_Stoke said:

Are they still actually trading? It appears that models can be ordered as usual but I have not actually tried to follow this through. If they take customers' money, will any orders place now stand any chance of being fulfilled, I wonder?

FWIW (nothing!) I'm owed $33, a customer's 21/6/24 order (costing them a similar amount) for two prints has not been fulfilled. No communication received.

Mike

[3rdboxcar]

On 30/08/2024 at 22:56, 81E said:

How did you get your notice and what is happening as I have not heard anything. Is their a way of lodging a claim for unsupplied goods or monies owed from sales?

I got my notice through the post, it was followed up with a letter asking if I wished to proceed with a claim, on reflection I decided I will just let it go as I do not really wish to get involved with American courts and the chances of actually getting anything of value is pretty low.

[Timber]

Interested if anyone can help.   I used to use Shapeways alot to make centers for my S Scale wheels.   Their fine surface material gave me just what i wanted.   But I never really understood what the material was.   Now I am looking for a replacement.  

 

I have plenty of 3D printers in the workshop both filament and resin but I have never been able to create at home what shapeways could print for my wheels - the accuracy and characteristics of the material was spot on for my wheels.  

 

Looking at the Manuevo web site screen shot below can anyone guide me on the material i should chose?

 

Many thanks in advance.

Edited September 7 by Timber

[NScaleNotes]

4 hours ago, Timber said:

Interested if anyone can help.   I used to use Shapeways alot to make centers for my S Scale wheels.   Their fine surface material gave me just what i wanted.   But I never really understood what the material was.   Now I am looking for a replacement.  

 

I have plenty of 3D printers in the workshop both filament and resin but I have never been able to create at home what shapeways could print for my wheels - the accuracy and characteristics of the material was spot on for my wheels.  

 

Looking at the Manuevo web site screen shot below can anyone guide me on the material i should chose?

 

Many thanks in advance.

 

 

 

I'll caveat this by saying I haven't used this company but based on my experience I'd say either the Nylon (glass filled will make it stronger and more rigid) or the Visijet M2R-TN.

I would lean more strongly towards the Visijet if the cost isn't astronomical as it will be rigid but probably give a finer surface finish than Shapeways or the nylons.

They are both a similar hardness according to the data sheets.

 

Material data sheets here for Visijet M2R-TN: https://www.3dsystems.com/materials/visijet-m2r-tn-0

Nylon: https://www.3dpeople.uk/pa12-nylon-mjf or https://www.3dpeople.uk/pa12-nylon-sls

Edited September 7 by NScaleNotes

[billbedford]

Nylon prints are produced on a power-based printer, so they have a surface texture. Visijet is a resin used on inkjet-type printers, and it has a finer surface finish. 

[Timber]

well lets see - i did not have many choices - only nylon PA 17 or TPC were allowed so went for the nyplon.....i tried to group the wheels into 4 as the way that i used shapeways to keep the cost down but Manuevo was not allowing that.   So I sent them one wheel and asked for 4 copies.  £4 a print plus £15 postage....£31 for 4 wheels.....but if they do the job i can order in bulk and get the total price down....will report back.

 

 

 

Edited September 8 by Timber

[5D_Stoke]

On 07/09/2024 at 21:57, Timber said:

.i tried to group the wheels into 4 as the way that i used shapeways to keep the cost down but Manuevo was not allowing that.   So I sent them one wheel and asked for 4 copies. 

I have not tried Manuevo yet but this comment alarms me. Does Manuevo permit prints of more than one part, eg a sprue of components, in a single order, as Shapeways did? It reminds me of a debacle with imaterialise that I had years ago, as they flatly refused to print any (what they judged to be) "sprued parts" or "grouped parts", and insisted that every component was a separate model that had to be ordered individually. Hence when I redesigned a brake van with a floor and solebar unit separated from the body by 5mm, so the builder could construct the model more easily, they refused to print it. Sprues of footboards, ventilators, etc were completely forbidden. This limitation, plus of course imaterialise' insistence that the designer had to pay for a test print for every design/scale/alteration, meant I immediately stopped using them.
What have others' experiences been with Manuevo so far, please?

 

PS. The Marketplace section of Shapeways' website now seems to be down again in the last few days, none of my models are even able to be viewed.

[Quarryscapes]

On 07/09/2024 at 21:57, Timber said:

well lets see - i did not have many choices - only nylon PA 17 or TPC were allowed so went for the nyplon.....i tried to group the wheels into 4 as the way that i used shapeways to keep the cost down but Manuevo was not allowing that.   So I sent them one wheel and asked for 4 copies.  £4 a print plus £15 postage....£31 for 4 wheels.....but if they do the job i can order in bulk and get the total price down....will report back.

 

 

 

 

This is the equivalent of Shapeways's White Versatile Plastic, it'll almost certainly be too rough for your wheels. If you were using Shapeways fine detail palstics you need to find someone with a Polyjet printer, CW Railways for example. https://www.cwrailways.com/. You should be able to produce resin wheel centres well enough though, I have done in 16mm scale for wagons. I do the outsides oversize then skim them on an arbour in the Unimat for perfect concentricity. 

[Timber]

Thank you......let me try cwrailways.....much appreciated

 

 

[Timber]

Received my parcel back from Manuevo this morning that is pretty impressive given I only placed the order on saturday.

The results were better than expected...

 

The shrinkage is slightly more than expected and I agree that the material is closer to Shapeway versatile plastic but it is reasonably OK....photo shows the Manuevo sitting along side a brass print from Materialise....