From Denver to D.C.: LulzBot 3D Printers to Retail at All 25 US Micro Center Locations

You may have noticed, with some surprise, that a number of well-known 3D printers are indeed hitting the retail big-time. Previously, many companies have started out on Kickstarter and then proceeded to sell their wares online, generally through their own websites and sometimes through resellers.

While that’s certainly the way most of us shop these days, nothing beats getting a new product right out in front of the consumer. There’s nothing like a retail presence, and especially one that allows the customer to reach out and touch or even participate in a demo, garnering interest on the spot.

You should be able to catch the LulzBot Mini and the LulzBot TAZ 5 front and center now as Micro Center joins Aleph Object’s growing reseller network and will offer them at all 25 Micro Center locations in the US, which include Atlanta (2), Baltimore, Boston, Chicago (2), Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus, Dallas, Denver, Detroit, Houston, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, New York (5), Philadelphia, St. Louis, and Washington, D.C. (2).

This new exposure offers great opportunity to reach the targeted audience for the award winning LulzBot printers, which are currently in use by teachers and students enjoying innovative curricula, designers, engineers, architects, and a wide range of hobbyists and professionals.

“Our LulzBot line of 3D printers has already generated significant sales activity through online channels and regional resellers, but we are especially excited to debut them at Micro Center stores nation-wide,” stated Harris Kenny, Vice President of Marketing at Aleph Objects, Inc. “We believe our printers are a perfect match for Micro Center’s tech-savvy customers, and we are thrilled our products are now part of their catalog.”

Founded in 2011, LulzBot is famous for promoting open source all the way, as well as great affordability and accessibility, and they’ve shot to the forefront of the desktop market, undeniably, with continued surging sales and high customer satisfaction. They’ve also won a number of awards in their home state of Colorado, as well as being featured nationally.

The success continues for the innovators, with over $1.6 million in sales for the month of September 2015, and $3.9 million in this year’s third quarter, which was a whopping 300% increase from the same quarter last year, showing $1.2 million. Overall, the company surpassed $10 million in sales year-to-date and has had eight consecutive quarters of sales growth. It’s no surprise to hear that sales are strong for this quarter so far as well.

The LulzBot Mini is a user-friendly desktop 3D printer featuring a self-leveling bed, a self- cleaning nozzle, and the ability to print an unusually wide variety of different materials to include PLA, ABS, Nylon, Tritan, Polycarbonate, T-Glase and a number of other alternative materials. A very popular machine, it also earned the “Editors’ Choice” award from Tom’s Guide, and has received accolades from critics and users around the world.

The LulzBot TAZ 5 is a high-performance desktop 3D printer meant for industrial users, and one that we have been following for quite some time now upon its release, to valuable uses in education, to releases of new items like their Flexystruder toolheads, which are compatible with both the Mini and the TAZ 5.

The TAZ 5 also offers graphical LCD for tetherless printing, and a large build volume. It has been named ‘Best Overall’ desktop fabrication machine by Make: magazine, ‘Best 3D printer under $2,500’ by 3D Printing Industry, and ‘Best Printer Under $3,000’ by 3D Forged, as well as Editors’ Choice from Tom’s Guide.

Micro Center joins Aleph Object’s growing reseller network that also includes partners across the United States, and internationally including: China, Ecuador, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, New Zealand, South Korea, and Taiwan. The company also offers direct sales fulfilled by its locations in the United States, Canada, and United Kingdom to customers in over 85 countries around the world.

“As part of Micro Center’s goal to be the best computer and consumer electronics stores in the world, we want to offer our customers a good selection of the best new technology products on the market,” said Kevin L. Jones, Vice President-Merchandising. “We are happy to be introducing our customers to the award-winning LulzBot 3D printers from Aleph Objects.”

Founded in 1979 in Ohio, Micro Center has had a longstanding commitment to the computer and consumer electronics industry. They hold over 30,000 items in stock, which is more than any other retailer we know of–exhibiting their deep passion for providing products, expertise, and customer service. Along with their much acclaimed new partner LultzBot, they too have been much lauded, and are consistently recommended as one of the best places to purchase hardware–including 3D printers.

This partnership, which puts the LulzBot lineup of 3D printers much further into the public eye demonstrates the beginning of a trend, as we’ve seen with MakerBots being sold in big box venues like Sam’s Club. While a much wider audience is introduced to these specific brands in retail locations, they are of course getting an introduction to what the technology is all about as a whole. This lends further validation to these companies in their missions not just to make sales, but to make the technology of 3D printing accessible to everyone–and affordably so, without sacrificing innovation and quality.

Have you seen any Lulzbot printers on the shelves at your local Micro Center lately?  Let us know in the Micro Center Lulzbot 3D Printer forum thread on 3DPB.com.