The UPS Store expands 3D printing to 100 locations nationwide

After launching 3D print in six markets across the country, the UPS Store is expanding 3D printing services to nearly 100 additional locations nationwide.



In the past year, the six locations saw demand for 3D print continuing to increase across a broad spectrum of customers.



During the 2013 pilot program, the 3D print services were used by small businesses, startups, inventors, artists and a wide range of professionals to transform their ideas into reality. From inventors who patented innovative product designs to entrepreneurs who prototyped an idea and successfully delivered a retail-ready product to market, there were many success stories.



“We are committed to offering small business owners, entrepreneurs and consumers high-tech solutions in order to assist with all of their business needs,” said Michelle Van Slyke, VP of marketing and sales at The UPS Store. “We launched the pilot to evaluate if there was demand for 3D print and we’re excited to be announcing an expansion, giving even more small business owners access to high-quality, professional 3D printing. We look forward to being a part of the future of the 3D printing industry.”



The UPS Store is kicking off this expansion by designating Sept. 22-26 as its first annual #3DPrintWeek. Small business owners and consumers across the country will have access to top-notch 3D printing at a much higher quality than an at-home 3D printer could provide at participating The UPS Store centers across the country, the company said in a press release.



The Stratasys uPrint SE Plus, selected by The UPS Store, is a professional grade 3D printer designed to accurately and reliably produce complex engineering parts, prototypes and one of-a-kind objects. The heated build chamber and soluble supports allow entrepreneurs, engineers, home inventors and makers to produce parts true to their designs.



“There are significant differences between home 3D printers and professional 3D printers,” said Daniel Remba, small business technology leader at The UPS Store. “Many of the challenging and time consuming steps used to prepare a simpler printer are fully automated on the uPrint SE Plus, leading to added precision and reliability, higher print quality and a success rate that is unmatched by a home printer.”



The UPS Store and Stratasys will co-host on Tuesday, Sept. 23, from 7–8 p.m. EST, a Twitter chat on how 3D print can help a small business. The chat can be followed using #3DPrintWeek. Small business owners can get their 3D print questions answered by experts including Daniel Remba, small business technology leader for @TheUPSStore; Mark Skokut, senior application engineer @Stratasys and Brian Moran, small business expert @BrianMoran.