UPS Store Taking 3-D Printing to Nearly 100 Locales
SAN DIEGO—Following the successful launch of 3-D printing in six markets across the country, The UPS Store is expanding 3-D printing services to nearly 100 additional locations nationwide to meet the growing demands of its small business customers.
As the first nationwide retailer to offer 3-D printing services in-store, in collaboration with Stratasys, The UPS Store continues to evolve its services to better meet the needs of small business owners. During the past year, the six locations that served as part of a test run saw demand for 3-D printing continue to increase across a broad spectrum of customers.
This upward trend is in line with the 3-D printing industry, which also experienced rapid growth. In fact, the 3-D print service provider sector increased by 21 percent last year, according to “The Wohlers Report 2014.”
During the 2013 pilot program, the 3-D printing services were used by small businesses, startups, inventors, artists and a wide range of professionals to transform their ideas into reality.
The Stratasys uPrint SE Plus, selected by The UPS Store, is a professional-grade 3-D printer designed to produce complex engineering parts, prototypes and one-of-a-kind objects. The heated build chamber and soluble supports allow entrepreneurs, engineers, home inventors and makers to produce parts true to their designs.
“There are significant differences between home 3D printers and professional 3D printers,” said Daniel Remba, small business technology leader at The UPS Store. “Many of the challenging and time-consuming steps used to prepare a simpler printer are fully automated on the uPrint SE Plus, leading to added precision and reliability, higher print quality and a success rate that is unmatched by a home printer.”