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First the Closed Source discussions [1], and now completely outsourcing to China? What sets them apart from any other hardware company now? [1] https://en.wiki

by reustle 11y ago

First the Closed Source discussions [1], and now completely outsourcing to China? What sets them apart from any other hardware company now? [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MakerBot_Industries#Closed_source_hardware https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MakerBot_Industries#Closed_sou...

3dfan 11y ago
We really should try to promote 3D printing companies that support the open source movement and local manufacturing. Maybe we should set up a wikipedia category for open source 3d printers? Product Chart has a section for 3d printers with open source design: http://www.productchart.com/3d_printers/sets/4 http://www.productchart.com/3d_printers/sets/4
- MBCook 11y ago
  They tried. And the result is that as they got press and notoriety people took their open plans and made replicas in China and sold them at a cost that massively undercut MB. If they had stayed open source they would have gone under years ago, probably years before Systrays bought them. Open hardware doesn't really seem to be a sustainable business, at least not when what you're making costs as much as a 3D printer. A brand name isn't worth a ton when an identical rip-off product is 40% cheaper and performs the same.
  - Eridrus 11y ago
    > Open hardware doesn't really seem to be a sustainable business Neither does open source software tbh.
    - MBCook 11y ago
      It seems to be, at best, something you try and use as a value add to your real service like DB consulting.
      - trentlott 11y ago
        Why not make your real service on-site repair? That's less outsourceable than consulting, even.
        reustle 11y ago
        Who is going to pay for on-site repair for consumer 3d printers? Only a handful of businesses that actually rely on 3d printers use a MakerBot.
    - taneq 11y ago
      Open source software is a sustainable business in that you use it to foster a consulting business. Write something that fills a commercial need but is complex to configure, open source it, and then sell tech support to the users that tried to set up your system, sunk costs into it, then realised they were out of their depth. Open hardware works similarly in that you offer your design and then sell a reference build of it. There will always be some percentage of users who are attracted by the fact that it's 'free' but just want the finished product and don't care about building it themselves. It's a viable business model, it just doesn't scale the way closed-source scales. It only works when you're selling something new that hasn't been mega-mass-produced and commoditised yet. If you want to design something once then churn out millions of units, don't open-source your design.

by reustle 11y ago

3dfan 11y ago

We really should try to promote 3D printing companies that support the open source movement and local manufacturing. Maybe we should set up a wikipedia category for open source 3d printers? Product Chart has a section for 3d printers with open source design: http://www.productchart.com/3d_printers/sets/4 http://www.productchart.com/3d_printers/sets/4

MBCook 11y ago
They tried. And the result is that as they got press and notoriety people took their open plans and made replicas in China and sold them at a cost that massively undercut MB. If they had stayed open source they would have gone under years ago, probably years before Systrays bought them. Open hardware doesn't really seem to be a sustainable business, at least not when what you're making costs as much as a 3D printer. A brand name isn't worth a ton when an identical rip-off product is 40% cheaper and performs the same.
- Eridrus 11y ago
  > Open hardware doesn't really seem to be a sustainable business Neither does open source software tbh.
  - MBCook 11y ago
    It seems to be, at best, something you try and use as a value add to your real service like DB consulting.
    - trentlott 11y ago
      Why not make your real service on-site repair? That's less outsourceable than consulting, even.
      - reustle 11y ago
        Who is going to pay for on-site repair for consumer 3d printers? Only a handful of businesses that actually rely on 3d printers use a MakerBot.
  - taneq 11y ago
    Open source software is a sustainable business in that you use it to foster a consulting business. Write something that fills a commercial need but is complex to configure, open source it, and then sell tech support to the users that tried to set up your system, sunk costs into it, then realised they were out of their depth. Open hardware works similarly in that you offer your design and then sell a reference build of it. There will always be some percentage of users who are attracted by the fact that it's 'free' but just want the finished product and don't care about building it themselves. It's a viable business model, it just doesn't scale the way closed-source scales. It only works when you're selling something new that hasn't been mega-mass-produced and commoditised yet. If you want to design something once then churn out millions of units, don't open-source your design.