Further expanding its footprint in the educational market, Tinkerine™ Studios Ltd., manufacturers of the Ditto Pro 3D printer, has partnered with North American yearbook publisher FutureBook Yearbooks. As a part of Futurebook Yearbooks’ Awards Program, educational institutions are given an allowance to purchase classroom technology and, now, the Ditto Pro will be a featured item of the program, so that schools may bring the Canadian 3D printer into the classroom.
CEO of FutureBook Yearbooks, Reid Felske, said of the deal, “FutureBook Yearbooks believes in inspiring, educating, and empowering students. By partnering with Tinkerine, our mission grows. We are thrilled about this relationship and know that together, our customers will experience boundless creativity, innovation, and excitement.” CEO of Tinkerine, Eugene Suyu, stated, “FutureBook Yearbooks is a value added partner that has a significant and expanding footprint in the North American education market. Their focus is highly relevant and complements our vision of educating and training teachers and students about the use and benefits of 3D printing technology.”
In addition to this recent partnership, the 3D printer manufacturer expanded its existing Tinkerine U platform by launching a free app to introduce educators and students to 3D printing. Developed by Tinkerine’s Todd Blatt, the Apple app, Tinkerine U Training, is a four-lesson bootcamp for learning 3D modeling and 3D printing. As far as the company’s press releases are concerned, these moves represent Tinkerine’s efforts to capitalize on the education market.
Suyu stated the profit to be made in the online training market. In relation to the app, Suyu says, “Tinkerine U Training integrates 3D printing into schools and provides engaging academic content for all ages. We believe that our Tinkerine U Training app will leverage our investment in our industry leading Tinkerine U educational platform that we plan to launch in March 2015. We are confident that this combination of accessibility and content will drive sales in the growing market and the $107 billion online training market.”
And, with a focus on Apple’s domination of the education sector, the Tinkerine U Training press release reads, “Apple’s market share for tablets in the education sector is 94%, and teachers are increasingly using apps to promote course engagement and teamwork.” It goes on to say, “Tinkerine U Training iPad app also serves as an operating guide for Tinkerine’s award-winning Ditto™Pro 3D printer and should drive Tinkerine’s brand into the education market.”
As the 3D printing hype bubble deflates, with less enterprising manufacturers falling by the wayside, adept brands are staking out their territories. There are already many manufacturers occupying the education market, including the omnipresent MakerBot, but Tinkerine is clearly seeking to make this sector its own.
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