Amazon moves into 3D-printed products

[fjtorres]

Amazon moves into a new market:
http://www.cnet.com/news/amazon-laun...nted-products/

Officially open for business on Monday, the new 3D Printing Store sells more than 200 on-demand, 3D-printed products. Customers choose a specific product, such as jewelry, home items, toys, games, electronic accessories, and mobile phone cases. As the products are printed on the fly, the customer essentially become the designer as well.

Using design templates, buyers create their items, such as pendants, earrings, and necklaces. The products can be customized by material, size, style, and color, and further personalized with text and images. After putting a personal touch on a product, customers can preview it in 3D and rotate the preview to see the item at all angles.

The Amazon 3D-printed product store:
http://www.amazon.com/b?ie=UTF8&node=8323871011

[crich70]

Interesting. I wonder how the price of such compares with an equivalent product produced in the traditional way.

[tubemonkey]

Originally Posted by crich70

Interesting. I wonder how the price of such compares with an equivalent product produced in the traditional way.

Far more expensive. The only advantage I see with 3D printing is to get something that's a bit different from a similar mass produced product.

[fjtorres]

Originally Posted by tubemonkey

Far more expensive. The only advantage I see with 3D printing is to get something that's a bit different from a similar mass produced product.

Or very different.
They are gearing up to accept customer-designed products.

This is a niche business but very high margin.
Probably closer to Amazon's art market and jewelry business than to diaper sales.

Remember, Amazon doesn't mind taking money from the rich, too:

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=lp_15959...rice-desc-rank

[Iphinome]

Originally Posted by tubemonkey

Far more expensive. The only advantage I see with 3D printing is to get something that's a bit different from a similar mass produced product.

quick replacement parts that little plastic clip on something you use all the time, the little plastic thingie that you lost when you opened a fan to clean the blades and hardware store don't seem to stock. replacing babrie's left shoe that the dog ate. There's a billion small objects in your house that it would be nice to have quick replacements for.

True that is more the case for a home printer but still there's a potential market for retail 3d printing. Imagine downloading a 3d file for a replacement part from a manufacturer website and taking them to the local pharmacy just like you can do to print digital photos. more expensive than mass produces, cheaper than paying shipping (for non prime members).

[fjtorres]

Ideally, commercial grade 3D could be used like POD books, to supplement the parts inventory of a business. Radio Shack, Home Depot, and Michael's are all chains that could host 3D printing services.
Amazon could, too, by basing them in their distribution centers.

So far, everybody has been focusing on getting 3D printers cheap enough for individual home use--a personal manufacturing revolution to somewhat parallel the PC revolution of the 80's. Amazon seems to think there might be a business in an earlier model: timeshared computing. They are setting up an online manufacturing job shop.

There are possibilities there, especially in their B2B operation, for providing 3D printing service on the big, expensive metal-sintering 3D printers and not just the polymer based low end models. It's the kind of "boldly going" thing one would expect to see in a SiliValley startup; the kind that either fizzles out in six months or explodes into a Google or a Facebook...

Worth tracking.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by fjtorres

Ideally, commercial grade 3D could be used like POD books, to supplement the parts inventory of a business. Radio Shack, Home Depot, and Michael's are all chains that could host 3D printing services.
Amazon could, too, by basing them in their distribution centers.

So far, everybody has been focusing on getting 3D printers cheap enough for individual home use--a personal manufacturing revolution to somewhat parallel the PC revolution of the 80's. Amazon seems to think there might be a business in an earlier model: timeshared computing. They are setting up an online manufacturing job shop.

I fly radio-controlled helicopters as a hobby, and 3D printing of customised spare parts is now big business in that area. Lots of companies doing it.

[fjtorres]

Originally Posted by HarryT

I fly radio-controlled helicopters as a hobby, and 3D printing of customised spare parts is now big business in that area. Lots of companies doing it.

Hot rods and car customization comes to mind as a big market for large format 3D printing.

I can also see a "digital Etsy" marketplace for personalized trinkets.
There is a surprising amount of money floating in that space.

[Mike L]

Originally Posted by crich70

I wonder how the price of such compares with an equivalent product produced in the traditional way.

Some examples:

$36 for a set of cookie cutters

$56 for a coffee-cup holder

And neither seems to offer any useful customisation options.

Clearly early days for this market.

Mike

[crich70]

Originally Posted by Mike L

Some examples:

$36 for a set of cookie cutters

$56 for a coffee-cup holder

And neither seems to offer any useful customisation options.

Clearly early days for this market.

Mike

Thanks Mike. I imagine that the price will go down as the tech. becomes more common place. That seems to be the trend every time something new is introduced anyway. I remember when the Kindle was introduced it was several hundred bucks. Now of course the Kindle is a lot more easier to afford (depending on personal economics).