In a little over two years, we have seen makexyz.com build a list of several thousands local 3D printers around the world. A place where you can go to get a quote for making your model and hiring a local 3D printing service to produce it for you. If you need that widget made, makexyz can often show you a service on your doorstep which is capable of producing it.
Local 3D Printshops
Now in just over a year since start-up, makexyz have competition with the likes of 3DHubs.com. The game is on. A business based in the Netherlands with some 5000+ 3D printing services listed from across 80 countries. That puts around 750 million people within roughly 10 miles of a someone willing to make a 3D print for you. It is an astonishing figure where both the density and spread of 3D printing services are also continually growing at some pace.
Geolocation Of 3D Print
What makes these sites similar to a traditional classifieds advertising platforms are their ability to geolocate the searcher and filter. 3D printing services can be displayed within different distances around the search. Likewise, any geolocation can be manually entered to get a required list of businesses in the vicinity. Other features exist where you can also search on the type of 3D printer you want – you need your article in metal for example.
3DHubs & Makexyz
The sites are slick, built for purpose and niche. They both have similar business models in taking a small percentage on the value of any job which passes through them. Both are well funded businesses having attracted start-up investment. It is going to be interesting to see how they develop as mainstream classifieds advertising sites catch on with their own sections for 3D printing services. Craigslist come on down with a dedicated category/section.
Both 3D Hubs and makexyz are an important step and indeed integral to seeing local manufacturing markets and a new means of production take-off. They are relatively small beginnings in the big picture but they are indicating that disruption to the traditional supply chain is coming. Especially when considering items being made and transported over great distances; making it possible to meet some demand in a local manner.
Putting it bluntly, in a recent Forbes article, the Co-founder of 3D Hubs made an interesting statement:
Bram de Zwart said he believed that – “ultimately a distributed production network will win versus centralized manufacturing and production in China.”
It is an interesting point which has been discussed before but it can be put down to a little exuberance. Impact the supply chain and displace some items – YES but a wipe out is definitely a NO. Still, even small percentages can create disproportionate changes in an economy.
Makexyz and 3D Hubs are exciting stuff though we should not get too carried away just yet. Anyone with a consumer based 3D printer can get listed. We are not talking thousands of commercial manufacturers per se capable of making almost anything. There is a bit more involved in setting up and running a manufacturing business than just owning a 3D printer. Undeniably however, it is a great start – yes – you can start your own 3D printing service tomorrow and these sites may help you find customers.
Density of 3D printing services across the world
What is interesting about 3D Hubs and makexyz is they both demonstrate the geographic spread of 3D printers. There are clearly hotspots with countries like the U.K., Netherlands and Germany showing up in dark red. Some parts of the U.S too. The European countries appear to be charging ahead.
That being said, we have to be careul not to interpret too much from these maps (given both companies are U.S and European based) but the lack of 3D printing services listed in China and India is striking. Is this because of awareness or is it that makexyz and 3D Hubs are unknown to them. It is food for thought and on a grand-scale but if local 3D printing hubs gain serious traction, Asia may have to start developing their own consumer based economies with the same technology and not just totally depend on mass production for export. Back to the thoughts of Bram de Zwart of 3D Hubs again.