Another success story in the making for a consumer/prosumer 3D printing company. Joining the ranks of strong indicators for desktop 3D printer companies such as RepRap Pro, MakerBot, Ultimaker, Deezmaker, Solidoodle, PrintrBot, Ion Core, and more, Leapfrog 3D Printers officially opened the doors of its new headquarters in the Netherlands with a Grand Opening party this month.
Leapfrog 3D Printers are a strong indication of the potential of the 3D printing market, which is on one hand currently increasingly saturated with breadth of range of home FDM / FFF devices in relation to extant unit sales, USD$87 million worth in 2013 of a $325 million market which increased some 49% on the year before. On the other hand, a genuinely new market and vibrant sector, which has captured the imagination of the entire world’s media and promises great potential for near future expansion, predicted to increase 75% in 2014 for total 3D printer sales, of which $133 million will be home desktop 3D printers. In less than two years this small, young company has grown into one of the key players in the 3D printing sector – behind leaders MakerBot and Ultimaker, but certainly well in the running amidst the following pack.
At the grand opening, there were speeches, demonstrations of the Leapfrog range – which includes the 230 x 270 x 200mm build area €1,512.50 prosumer targeted Creatr and the 350 x 270 x 220mm €7000 professional market targeted XEED 3D printers, and a moment to ceremonially cut the ribbon.
The party started off with an inspirational speech from Saswitha de Kok, Leapfrog’s commercial director, who spoke of their vision on the world of 3D printing: “…the opening of this new building … marks the enormous growth we have achieved in the past years. It also sends a signal to the world: we have been doing extremely well and we are certain we will continue to be great in the future. Leapfrog’s brand slogan ‘Create the Future’ is literally made reality here.”
Leapfrog promises a number of forthcoming innovations in the next few months, seeking to continue to be a primary catalyst behind the adoption of 3D printing for businesses, education and ultimately home consumers. They also outline a strategy to continue to educate user groups on how to add value with 3D printing throughout their own value chains, whether they are manufacturers, innovators, retailers, doctors, dentists, researchers or architects. Leapfrog will also emphasize education.
The new office has its own Xperience center where Leapfrog 3D Printers will host various 3D printing events: information afternoons, expert sessions and workshops. It also serves as an area to welcome guests that would like to receive more information.
Recent and forthcoming Leapfrog events include:
• Opening their own production facility
• A high end design collaboration with Karim Rashid
• Publishing the report “Adding value for retailers”
• The launch of the Creatr’s new taller 230 x 270 x 600 mm sister: The Creatr XL
• Opening the Online Educational Store to offer schools a complete starter kit + curricula
You can find out more about Leapfrog via the various links included in this article, or via their new Facebook Group ‘ For Retailers.‘
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