Shapeways Vision on Alternatives to Mass Production Leads to the Release of the Co-Creator Platform

EINDHOVEN, THE NETHERLANDS--(Marketwire - August 12, 2009) - Shapeways, the 3D printing co-creation community, launches the Co-Creator Platform, the next step in making personalized production accessible to everyone. With the release of the Co-Creator Platform, designers are offered easy tools to turn their designs into customizable templates, enabling interaction with their customers. Turning their designs into templates, designers are now empowering the users to customize the design to their exact specifications. This is the start of a new era where a designer does not design the end product but rather the interaction concept with the consumer. The customization range for each template will not be limited to customized text, sizes, initials and images but to any need that comes with user-created designs.

Endless possibilities

The Co-creator platform is set up to follow the needs of our creative community. The first objects from the Co-Creator Platform are for instance: Nintendo styluses with initials, jewelry with customizable text that is also resizable and an art objects based on an uploaded image of a face.

From dialogue to micro production

The ultimate goal of Shapeways has always been to offer their users the possibility to buy objects which exactly meet their specifications and needs. A dialogue between producer and consumer is essential to get an optimal fit between product and need. With the Co-creator Platform buyers are in immediate contact with the designer. They can co-design or specify the exact unique product that they want by entering their personal input in the design process. Shapeways will then produce & ship the item. The designer gets paid; the consumer gets their unique item.

Innovative custom options

"We really love being able to offer our community customization options for various products, such as our Cufflinks and Ringpoems," commented Shapeways CEO Peter Weijmarshausen. "With the Co-creation platform we take the ability we had using our software Creators and enable all designers to make co-creation templates. This will grow the amount of creators available by an enormous amount. With so many creative designers in the Shapeways community, we can only imagine the innovative custom options that will be offered."

The Co-Creator Platform is available at http://www.shapeways.com/co-creator_platform

About Shapeways:

Shapeways, the world's first 3D co-creation community, brings design to life with cost effective, high quality 3D printing. Shapeways is redefining Do-It-Yourself by connecting consumers to the latest in micro production with easy to use click-and-drag product customization and advanced upload-to-print tools for seasoned 3D designers. Shapeways encompasses a diverse community of artists and enthusiasts engaging in everything from collaborative creation to selling their 3D designs as products through the unique Shapeways Shops, an international marketplace for consumer created 3D printed products. Shapeways is spinning out from the Lifestyle Incubator of Royal Philips Electronics, located in Eindhoven, The Netherlands.

Contact Information: Media contact: Jessica Hasson jessica@shapeways.com 323-710-3556 Rian Gemei rian@Shapeways.com Tel: 0031-402741552 Editors Note: Images available at http://www.shapeways.com/presscorner