They also had higher end and more labor intensive processes like precious metal castings, I assume by printing in a resin that can be burned out of a mold, then

They also had higher end and more labor intensive processes like precious metal castings, I assume by printing in a resin that can be burned out of a mold, then casting in the void it leaves behind. I always figured this was the main part of their business, and people who just wanted 3D printed plastic parts were either doing a small quantity or would buy their own printer and not be repeat customers. https://www.shapeways.com/materials/platinum https://www.shapeways.com/materials/platinum There are services like CNC machining and injection molding too, not nearly as easy to bring those in-house compared to 3D printers. But also more competition in that space.