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It IS a pity that Shapeways is gone, but they kind of did it to themselves. It started as a great idea, but then they started raising the prices...and the shipping, and they also ignored the signs of what was coming. Think Tower Records (or Licorice Pizza or fill in the blank record shop) and Blockbuster Video. Heck, cable TV and streaming services are having the same thing happen to them now. Still, I will miss them.
For those that want to see the impact of the Shapeways shutdown in the N scale / N-gauge trolley and tram world, I have created and added a page to my N-Trolleys website: http://www.trainweb.org/n-trolleys/available.htmThis page lists what is available worldwide in ready-to-run (or drop-in power chassis) and in resin-printed shells, plus a list of most of the N trolley products that were on Shapeways. In short, the Shapeways-impacted list seems to be longer than the list of what is still available. Dozens of American style carbody shells have vanished off the market, in what was already a very small market of offerings.I'm glad we have heard here from 3rdboxcar (Alexander) and Dirk on their post-Shapeways plans and actions. I can also report that Volkmar Meier (Interurban Models) has told me he is planning to port his Shapeways designs over to the self-printed resin models that he started to produce and sell directly some time ago. Of course, with Alexander in Britain and Volkmar in France, international shipping and other costs now become added factors.Rich K.
May 07, 2024 8:36am EDTDownload as PDFNEW YORK, May 07, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Shapeways Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: SHPW) (“Shapeways” or the “Company”), a leader in the large and fast-growing digital manufacturing industry, today announced that it has entered into an asset purchase agreement in connection with the sale of its software business to OTTO dms, Inc., an entity wholly-owned by Shapeways’ Chief Executive Officer, Greg Kress and the Executive of Shapeways’ software business unit, Greg Rothman.As previously disclosed, the Company has been working with advisors while considering strategic alternatives, and is actively taking steps to sell a material portion of the Company’s assets. In the course of market checks conducted by the Company’s advisors and preliminary discussions with potential purchasers, the Company has received indications of interest to acquire either its manufacturing business or software business, but not both together.Based on that feedback, the Shapeways Board of Directors formed an independent Special Committee to oversee the divestment or liquidation of the Company’s software business. The Special Committee engaged outside advisors and pursued a competitive process to sell the Company’s software assets, which resulted in the Company accepting a management-led proposal to purchase the software business.The transaction is expected to close on or around May 20, 2024, subject to customary closing conditions. The transaction is limited to the sale of the Company’s OTTO and MFG assets, and does not affect its proprietary, internal-use software, “InShape,” which enables the Company to fully digitize the end-to-end manufacturing workflow and is used by its internal manufacturing locations and external supply chain partners.Following the closing of the transaction, Mr. Kress will remain the full-time Chief Executive Officer of Shapeways Holdings, Inc and Mr. Rothman is expected to lead the newly independent, privately-held software business after the transaction closes. The transaction was approved by the Special Committee, Audit Committee, and Board of Directors.The Company is continuing to pursue strategic alternatives for the core manufacturing business, and is engaged in ongoing discussions with potential acquirers. There can be no assurance that any of these discussions will result in any transaction.
7. Intellectual Property Rights of 3D DesignsYou, as a designer, retain all your intellectual property rights in your 3D Models, including without limitation any and all derivative works like 3D renders. Except for the rights and licenses with respect to your 3D Models specified below, Shapeways shall not use, modify or display your 3D Models or derivatives thereof. By uploading your 3D Models to the Services, you represent and warrant that it is your original creation and not copied from any third party and/or entity. You further represent and warrant that you have all rights to grant the below licenses to us without infringement or violation of any third party rights, including without limitation, any privacy rights, publicity rights, copyrights, trademarks, contract rights, or any other intellectual property or proprietary rights.By uploading your 3D Model to the Services, you grant Shapeways a non-exclusive, royalty free, worldwide, transferable, and sublicensable right and license (i) to use your 3D Model for the manufacturing of your 3D Model in order to fulfill your order; (ii) if you offer your 3D Model for sale through Shapeways, to use your 3D Model for the manufacturing of your 3D model in order to fulfill orders of your 3D Model made through Shapeways (iii), if you indicate that you want your 3D Model to be a CoCreator Model during the upload process (a) to display such CoCreator Model on the Shapeways Website and (b) to use and modify such CoCreator Model for the manufacturing of your model in order to fulfill the order of any other user of the Services; (iv) to generate and display 3D renders of your 3D Model; and (v) to use the 3D Model as necessary for the operation and maintenance of Shapeways Services including without limitation for the internal testing and educational purposes of Shapeways and Shapeways manufacturing partners.You can change the rights for CoCreator Models via the model detail page of the 3D Model at any time; provided that any then-pending order for such 3D Model shall be fulfilled by Shapeways. With regard to any non-published 3D Model, in order to protect third party intellectual property right owners who, in such case, may not be able to benefit from our Notice-Take-Down Procedure, we retain the right to review and refuse any order when it, in our sole and exclusive discretion, appears to infringe third party intellectual property rights, or in our discretion the 3D Model does not comply with our Content Policy.By removing your 3D Model from the Services, you terminate all licenses granted to Shapeways and its users to such 3D Model under these Terms and Conditions; provided that Shapeways is entitled to use your 3D Model to fulfill orders of your 3D Model that were placed before the removal and may continue to use the model for internal testing and educational purposes. Note, specific terms in the Co-Creator section: As a customer of a CoCreator Model, by providing specifications for a CoCreator Model, you grant Shapeways a non-exclusive, royalty free, worldwide, transferable license to use, copy, modify, display and distribute your specifications, with the right to sublicense, for any purpose.Please note that any intellectual property right of a manual CoCreator Model created by the Shapeways shop owner with the use of your specifications will vest in the shop owner who created such CoCreator Model.
https://i.materialise.com/enHas anyone had any experience using these guys as an alternative to Shapeways? I'm not so concerned with resin prints as I am quite content with my Sonic mini 8k, but am looking for a new supplier for metal prints, particularly one where I can set up a passive shop.
The Heritage Rail Alliance (of which I am a board member), a nonprofit - has been confronting a similar situation for years, with the technical information on both steam and diesel locomotives becoming sometimes difficult to find.That's a good model. In the case of .STL files that are privately owned, it's like any other asset, it can be donated to a nonprofit, put in a will, whatever, but better that than completely lost.Then the key issue becomes the preservation of the electronic files, and payment to 'somebody' in some manner to upload and maintain it. Not entirely free, but within the mission statement of a nonprofit.
Xometry also offers sintered metal parts, as does ExOne. That’s who I used for my mechanism frames, ExOne for the EP-3 and Xometry for the EP-4.
The Heritage Rail Alliance (of which I am a board member), a nonprofit - has been confronting a similar situation for years, with the technical information on both steam and diesel locomotives becoming sometimes difficult to find.
Hey Brian...How do you like the sintered metal prints for mechanism frames? I was originally using laser cut steel and brass, soldered up to make the frames, but I retired a few weeks ago and have lost that ability (worked in the R&D/Test Lab for a major industrial laser cutter manufacturer). So I need a new option for making frames. A buddy of mine has a lot of the old MDC HOn3 2-8-0 parts that we use for Sn2, and we've been discussing making new frames (with more prototypical axle spacing), but I left work before I could get to designing and cutting parts.Would love to have another option... Even if I have to finish mill the axle slots for precise spacing (I have milling machines).Jeff
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Topic: Is Shapeways Dying? (Read 6709 times)
