A lot of thought goes into buying a 3D printer. It’s a difficult decision; if you’re going to invest in a pricey piece of equipment, you need to make sure its capabilities match your needs. There are a lot of resources out there to help you compare and contrast the large amount of printers on the market, but it’s still a bit of a gamble to purchase a printer without being able to examine it and test it in person. Poland-based 3D printer manufacturer Zortrax had this dilemma in mind when it opened its new 3D printer store. Last year, the company opened the first 3D printing store and hub in Poland, with the launch of the Zortrax Store in Krakow. Now Zortrax is opening a second store in Warsaw. The new Zortrax Store, opened in cooperation with Zortrax’s official distributor 3D Phoenix, will operate as both a retailer and a 3D printing showroom.
“Our research shows that 8 out of 10 customers will decide on their purchase of a 3D printer after having examined its performance capabilities in reality,” said Łukasz Kaczmarczyk, CEO of 3D Phoenix. “We would like our customers to be able to see for themselves how well-suited Zortrax products are to a work environment. The decision to open our 3D printing showroom wasn’t only business-oriented; we wanted to educate Poles.”
3D Phoenix will be in charge of running the showroom, which will be open five days a week and plans to welcome all professionals currently using 3D printing, as well as companies who are just beginning to explore the technology as a possibility within their businesses. The full range of Zortrax products, which includes specialized filaments and a software suite in addition to their line of printers, will be on offer. In the near future, the company also hopes to host workshops and educational events at the store.
“One of the primary aspects of the Zortrax Store is a focus on education,” said Zortrax CEO Rafał Tomasiak. “Presently, we are engaged in talks with several universities teaching future engineers and designers. It is our hope that we will be able to organize various meetings and lectures for these students at the Zortrax Store in the near future. Educating Poles and raising their awareness on the advantages of 3D printing, and the endless possibilities that this technology carries with it, was one of the main reasons behind opening the Zortrax Store in Warsaw. I am strongly convinced that our showroom will soon become a very important point on Poland’s technological map.”
Zortrax has already demonstrated that it is a company dedicated to accessibility rather than just sales. Recently it launched an aggressive campaign to get 3D printers and education into schools in Poland’s most remote areas, and its product designs cater to both professionals and beginners. Its M200 printer, designed with user-friendliness and ease of use in mind, was voted the best plug-and-play printer of the year by 3D Hubs in both 2014 and 2015. With the opening of the new store, Zortrax’s reputation should continue to grow as a company determined to get 3D printing into the hands of as many people as possible.