rue_d_etropal Posted June 29, 2016 Share Posted June 29, 2016 one of the advantages of 3D printed items is that they can be produced locally, in theory. At the moment Shapeways have a factory in the Netherlands doing work for Europe, and I think 2 factories in USA doing work for there and the rest of the world. Now given the various tariffs that exist for trade between countries, is this say reflected in the cost of say items sold to customers in Australia and New Zealand. I presume it won't be very long before companies like Shapeways have a factory in most countries, so it won't be a problem. Even if there is not a dedicated factory then work could be subcontracted to local companies. This has to be the way forward for 3D printing. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
MGR Hooper! Posted June 29, 2016 Share Posted June 29, 2016 My order came from Eidenhoven. So I assume it was printed there? So Eidenhoven is also printing for other countries apart from Europe. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Revolution Mike Posted June 29, 2016 RMweb Gold Share Posted June 29, 2016 Shapeways was a spin-off from Phillips (which is based in Eindhoven) IIRC. The printers they use are still expensive and I doubt that there will be too much P&P saving in Europe. People seem to complain a lot about Shapeways's P&P but the charges seem pretty reasonable to me given the lengths they go to to try and prevent damage in posting. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
MGR Hooper! Posted June 29, 2016 Share Posted June 29, 2016 Shapeways was a spin-off from Phillips (which is based in Eindhoven) IIRC. The printers they use are still expensive and I doubt that there will be too much P&P saving in Europe. People seem to complain a lot about Shapeways's P&P but the charges seem pretty reasonable to me given the lengths they go to to try and prevent damage in posting. I can only agree with that 100%... I pay $19.99 for shipping. Yes at first it may seem high but the best part is that no matter how much I order it stays at $19.99. I have pictures to prove what lengths they go to, to prevent damage. Honestly my entire order could fit in a pint glass. However the box can hold my head in it! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
rue_d_etropal Posted June 29, 2016 Author Share Posted June 29, 2016 Had not realised Australia was supplied from Eindhoven. Certainly last year it was mentioned that stuff was coming from USA. Maybe that was before new factory was opened. I presume there are no extra tarifs on items then.Price looks to be about the same as for here. Just that with all the EU fuss at the moment, i am looking at what could impact on my business. Sounds like 3D printing will be OK, but it does have a plan B because products can be produced locally. Costs of machines are high, but there are probably companies which could provide the service for many different companies. Shapeways have outsourced in the past. Does anyone know when Shapeways alter their exchange rate, as UK prices in pounds will go up when it does. Might be a good time to get that order in. I recommend people actually reading up on history of Phillips. Very clever company, keeping one step ahead, even moved to America before the Germans arrived, and made it an offshore company so the Americans could not pinch it. One reason why I went for Shapeways. The CD/DVD development was just down the road from me here, so quite a bit of local pride from those who realise. Despite extra security, some were still able to get hold of cheap DVDs locally! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
billbedford Posted June 30, 2016 Share Posted June 30, 2016 I don't think shapeways was ever part of Phillips. As I understand it Shapeways took advantage of an incubator scheme were Phillips provided premises and some venture capital. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
rue_d_etropal Posted June 30, 2016 Author Share Posted June 30, 2016 You are right, they were never part of Phillips, but were in the background to help them get started. I assume it is why they have main factory in Eindhoven, and computers in USA. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
tebee Posted July 1, 2016 Share Posted July 1, 2016 There is a potential problem looming up for us - if, as Grove wants, we leave the single market, then duty and vat will be charged at the border on our shipping. Not only that but UPS will add add a substantial handling charge on for collecting it. Stuff from Shapeways may be considerably more expensive in the UK soon. Tom Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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