Shapeways provides a low risk and low barrier model for 3d printing of products but it has not made millionaires yet

Shapeways, a 3-D printing service and online marketplace, has been described as the Amazon of 3-D printing for its on-demand model, if not its outsize volume: The machines spit out about 120,000 objects a month, a tidal flow of design that runs from the mundane to the astonishing.

Bradley Rothenberg, a Manhattan-based architect and designer, modeled snowflake angel wings and other pieces based on sketches by the Victoria’s Secret design team, which were then worn by the models in the Victoria’s Secret fashion show late last year, garnering attention for Shapeways, which printed the nylon plastic piece and Rothenberg.

Shapeways has a “lower risk, lower barrier” model. Because Shapeways prints on demand, there were no discouraging upfront manufacturing costs; Shapeways also handled time-consuming back-end processes like billing, shipping and customer service. Designers simply upload a printable design, set a price above the cost Shapeways charges to print and paid the 3.5 percent processing fee out of her profit. The designer is then assured that supply will meet demand.

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