Here at Shapeways, we're working hard to bring to life our saying, "Personalized products, for you and by you." Since our launch over 3 years ago, we’ve expanded the definition of “you” so that everyone can now create their own products. We've launched a marketplace of over 3,500 shops where designers can share their products with the world, and built tools to help people personalize, and even create, the stuff in their lives. By providing a platform for our community to share ideas and gain access to cutting edge 3D printing technology, we’re bringing personalized production to everyone.

Since establishing our headquarters in NY in late 2010, we’ve had amazing growth. We grew our NYC office to 19 people, and we expect to double by mid-2012. Our community grew to 100,000 Shapies, for whom we currently make 30,000 unique items per month. With over 300,000 products on Shapeways, we have become the largest marketplace for printable 3D designs. Our technology keeps getting better, and we’ve introduced incredible materials that match the quality of traditional manufacturing, such as glazed ceramics, polished nylon, and silver. We offer by far the widest range of 3D printing processes to a growing market of creators of all stripes.

What we’re doing is still quite new (dare I say revolutionary?), and we’re working to solve three core challenges. We want to make it easier for everyone to make anything. We want to make it more affordable. And we want to make it faster, and faster.

So it is with great excitement that we announce a major stride toward solving these challenges: Shapeways is going to open up its own production facility in NYC in 2012.