The company has already set up large-scale printing operations with partners in Germany and Sweden, but the overall plan is roll out the pop-up shop model and open more shops in cities around the world. That way, customers can walk in the door of the closest shop, talk with designers about their 3D printed furniture ideas, and watch their tables, couches, and chairs come to life in front of them. As they likely won’t be able to stick around and watch the entire printing process, customers can return when the furniture is finished to pick it up, cutting out shipping and delivery fees entirely.
Delivery technology has been on the brain a lot in recent years; we’ve seen it come to life with delivery drones like the Flirtey, though I don’t think one of those drones could deliver a couch.
Patel said, “I grew up watching Doctor Who, and what we’re talking about is that science fiction concept of zapping ideas across space. The idea that you can upload a design and have it materialize as a complete product halfway across the world, is incredibly powerful.”
“When I visited the pop-up shop for the first time, they set the printer to make an intricate blue stool, and what started out as a flat disc of plastic gradually starting taking form as we talked and the layers built up,” said Bonasio. “By the time I came back the next day, it had been completely finished, and I sat on that stool as we finished our interview. Seeing something born in front of your eyes like builds an emotional attachment to that object, and logic dictates that’s a good thing for the seller, since it makes you more likely to buy it.”
Print the Future has a fairly aggressive plan: to capture at least 5-10% of the 3D printing market. Kabuni, Patel’s previous company, is a marketplace for interior designers to connect with customers, and Print the Future will use that community as a jumping-off point. Print the Future board member and award-winning designer Lori Dennis, whose signature line of 3D printed furniture will be available at the pop-up shop, says that as time goes on, designers will be able to really use their creativity in terms of 3D printing materials, and that “we’ve only just started scratching the surface as far as exploring the design possibilities enabled by the medium.”
Dennis explained, “It’s probably safe to say that the majority of our early adopters will be millennials who value customization and speed.”
But again, if the planned pop-up shops do well, shipping could well be eliminated, as customers can just go to the nearest location to pick up their furniture. Patel’s larger vision isn’t just to make pretty 3D printed furniture, but to build up a sustainable 3D printing ecosystem that saves billions of dollars in shipping costs, reducing the overall carbon footprint and developing a decentralized, consumer-focused economy.
You can visit the Print the Future pop-up shop at 325 W 38th Street in NYC, open Monday-Saturday 11AM – 7PM, running through March 31st. 3DPrint.com met the Print the Future team this week at Inside 3D Printing NYC, and we’ll be sharing more right from the team in the near future. Discuss in the Print the Future forum at 3DPB.com.
[Sources: Trusted Reviews, Fast Company / Images: Print the Future]