Ribbon cutting for Shapeways, a 3-D printer in LIC, and factory of the future

Image source: BetaBeat

BetaBeat reports on the Thursday ribbon cutting at Shapeways (GMAP), a tech startup based in LIC whose business is to print three dimensional objects from user-generated designs. The factory space itself is 25,000 square feet, and at this size it will be the biggest 3-D printing facility in the world that focuses on the needs of individual consumers. It is being called “the factory of the future.” The ribbon itself was cut by a pair of 3D printed scissors.

The NYC Economic Development President Seth Pinsky was at the ribbon cutting and said about the establishment of Shapeways in the LIC community and as part of the tech community:

“There are plenty of good reasons we want New York City to be the epicenter of the industry, something, folks, that the factory and the research lab here at Shapeways will help make possible. This is the future of our city.”

Shapeways has offices in Seattle and abroad in The Netherlands, and set up shop in NYC in 2010. This location expects to create 50 manufacturing jobs in its first year, adding to the increasing numbers of jobs overall in NYC (there are 3.8 million jobs in the five boroughs now, which is an all-time high record).

Right now, the space is rather empty. According to the article,  “Once it’s up and running, the factory will hold fifty industrial-scale printers, capable of producing 5 million products a year. It’ll also contain a research lab, devoted to advancing the technology.”

Mayor Bloomberg spoke well about the benefits of having Shapeways in LIC:

“By forming a critical bridge between the tech and manufacturing centers, [Shapeways’ factory]‘ll give other companies the idea they need to be here. It’ll also help us bring the city’s industrial sector directly into the twenty-first century and it will add to Long Island City’s reputation as one of the hottest spots on the planet, where tech companies can grow.”

LIC really has become a hot spot when it comes to tech, as the home to a variety of startups (Songza, Storybox, and of course Shapeways), networking opportunities with monthly meetups and the Coalition for Queens, and educational outlets like workshops and courses geared toward gaining skills for this very dynamic industry.

At a Ribbon-Cutting for Shapeways’ ‘Factory of the Future,’ Bloomberg Talks New York Tech [BetaBeat]
Four signs that LIC is becoming a center for tech in NYC [QNYC]