Staples to offer 3D Printing services

Staples will soon be offering 3D printing facilities at its retail outlets.

Staples has announced that it will be introducing a new service called “Staples Easy 3D” which allows anyone of us to upload 3D model designs to their website and then have it printed at the nearest Staples superstore for pick-up or delivery.

They will use Mcor Iris printers capable of producing high resolution models at 100 microns. What’s interesting is this the Iris printer can combine colours for a photo-realistic appaearance rather than segmented color options offered by competing products like the MakerBot 2. While Mcor hasn’t disclosed which material will be used to produce these 3D products, they promise that it will be durable enough to withstand drilling and soft hammering.

For now, the Easy 3D service will be offered in The Netherlands and Belgium later this quarter, and will be made available in other countries over time. What’s great about the service is that it’s cheaper than competing production facilities, popularizing 3D printing within the average retail market.

Here are some images from the Mcor website. This should give you an idea as to how capable the Iris printer is.