Materializing small daily happiness
Posted: Sun May 25, 2025 5:49 am
Small daily happiness, that is what you can now materialize thanks to the (Dutch) co-creation platform 3DHubs.com . For a furniture part you no longer have to go to Ikea and for a special car part you no longer call the dealer: you can simply have them printed around the corner. On 3DHubs.com you will find ' as we speak ' an overview of the Dutch and Flemish locations where you can have a number of products printed that is expanding by the day.
Bram de Zwart is co-initiator of 3D Hubs. “We started in April, and now there are already more than four hundred 3D printing hubs connected to the network, fifty of which are in Amsterdam, Antwerp and Eindhoven.” Bram’s dream to help build a new Dutch manufacturing industry is partly the basis for 3D Hubs. “Not based on mass production, but on local & social 3D printing.”
But Bram and his partner Brian Garret also want to expand across the border quickly. “We have now connected to four hundred locations in Europe alone, making us the largest European production network. Our proposition is that you should be able to print around the corner. In practice, this means that there must be at least ten production locations available in your city. We are working hard on that now.” Most locations are 3D printed in plastic, but in the long run metals and other exotic materials will also be added, such as chocolate and ceramics.
Participants determine their own price, and users can pick up the prints themselves or have them latvia phone number list delivered to their door for six euros. Bram: “For applicants, this form of decentralized printing is cheaper than with commercial providers. And the providers – owners – of currently relatively expensive 3D printers earn something back.”
There are about a hundred thousand 3D printers in use worldwide, he estimates. “Sixty percent are owned by private individuals, who use their printer for an average of eight hours a week. The social aspect of their participation in a local 3D Hub is not only about sharing, but also about social contacts. They enjoy exchanging new applications and ideas with each other, based on a shared passion.” The most ordered product at the moment is the GoPro camera case. Bram: “The 3D print version is much cheaper than the manufacturer's case, while it is at least as robust.”
He recently received a special order from the new owner of an old Saab.
“He needed a component for his convertible roof that is no longer available. He then made a file of that component himself, after which we let our printer run overnight.”
Bram de Zwart is co-initiator of 3D Hubs. “We started in April, and now there are already more than four hundred 3D printing hubs connected to the network, fifty of which are in Amsterdam, Antwerp and Eindhoven.” Bram’s dream to help build a new Dutch manufacturing industry is partly the basis for 3D Hubs. “Not based on mass production, but on local & social 3D printing.”
But Bram and his partner Brian Garret also want to expand across the border quickly. “We have now connected to four hundred locations in Europe alone, making us the largest European production network. Our proposition is that you should be able to print around the corner. In practice, this means that there must be at least ten production locations available in your city. We are working hard on that now.” Most locations are 3D printed in plastic, but in the long run metals and other exotic materials will also be added, such as chocolate and ceramics.
Participants determine their own price, and users can pick up the prints themselves or have them latvia phone number list delivered to their door for six euros. Bram: “For applicants, this form of decentralized printing is cheaper than with commercial providers. And the providers – owners – of currently relatively expensive 3D printers earn something back.”
There are about a hundred thousand 3D printers in use worldwide, he estimates. “Sixty percent are owned by private individuals, who use their printer for an average of eight hours a week. The social aspect of their participation in a local 3D Hub is not only about sharing, but also about social contacts. They enjoy exchanging new applications and ideas with each other, based on a shared passion.” The most ordered product at the moment is the GoPro camera case. Bram: “The 3D print version is much cheaper than the manufacturer's case, while it is at least as robust.”
He recently received a special order from the new owner of an old Saab.
“He needed a component for his convertible roof that is no longer available. He then made a file of that component himself, after which we let our printer run overnight.”