Pinshape Inc. is an online
3D printing
3D printing or additive manufacturing is the Manufacturing, construction of a three-dimensional object from a computer-aided design, CAD model or a digital 3D modeling, 3D model. It can be done in a variety of processes in which material is ...
community and marketplace with headquarters in
Vancouver
Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...
, British Columbia, Canada.
It allows designers to share and sell their 3D printable designs. People with 3D printers to print those designs on their own printers.
About
Pinshape was founded in 2013 by Lucas Matheson (CEO), Nick Schwinghamer (COO), and Andre Yanes (CTO). The site is a marketplace that showcases the digital work of 3D designers from all over the world. 3D print designers set their own prices for their design files, and also choose which license to offer their work under (
Creative Commons
Creative Commons (CC) is an American non-profit organization and international network devoted to educational access and expanding the range of creative works available for others to build upon legally and to share. The organization has release ...
or other).
Designs found on Pinshape can be directly downloaded if allowed by the designer, or they can be sent directly to a user's 3D printer using a direct browser-to-printer functionality. The browser-to-printer functionality removes the need to access the design source file and increases intellectual property (IP) security.
Designers have the option of charging per print. Pinshape also allows its users to review designs and share the settings they used to print the files.
On March 30th, 2016, the company announced its closure on its website: "The value of a 3D Printing marketplace is obvious in the long term, but for many, the path to monetization isn’t so clear. Part of our challenge was demonstrating a financial path forward."
Pinshape was acquired by
Formlabs
Formlabs is a 3D printing technology developer and manufacturer. The Somerville, Massachusetts-based company was founded in September 2011 by three MIT Media Lab students. The company develops and manufactures 3D printers and related software and ...
on May 3, 2016.
500 Global
Pinshape was selected for and attended the 500 Global (then
500 Startups) accelerator program in Mountain View, California as part of Batch 9, from April to July 2014. They were one of 30 companies selected from over 1,400 applicants to participate in the 4-month program.
See also
External links
Official website
References
{{reflist, 2
3D printing websites
Online marketplaces of Canada
Mass media in Vancouver
2016 mergers and acquisitions