3D Printing Finally Coming (back) to Life in Japan Among the truly groundbreaking and occasionally astounding achievements in 3D printing around the world, the phrase “…based on a new device made and/or designed in Japan” occurs almost not at all. When Japan does make 3D printing news, it’s most likely accomplished with a machine and technology from the United States or Europe. See, while the rest of the world was powering forward, tech giant Japan had decided that, rather than mess around with printing, making 3D TVs and the Nintendo 3DS was more fun. In the meantime, the U.S. swallowed up 70% of the commercial 3D printer market, Germany grabbed a 15% share, add China’s 3% and a handful of other non-Japanese makers, and based on 2012 estimates from industry analyst Wohlers Associates, Japan is left with 0.3% of the global 3D printer market.
The SCOOVO C170 3D Printer Beginning with the small-scale desktop device pictured above (gallery), OPENCUBE aims to get a foot in the door and gradually win over the personal 3D printer market – they’re starting with a rather bold move: with little to no name recognition, in a market where the potential consumer base is kind of unknowable, OPENCUBE is putting onto shelves a nearly $2000 product that needs a continuous supply of raw materials, and, in all likelihood, no small amount of tech support. Hopefully, they’ve got someone like Netstar on standby in case any issues come flying in.
Already available online, the SCOOVO is actually early to the (relatively very late) Japanese game; with a strong retail push, OPENCUBE hopes to leverage a major role in the reinvigoration of Japan’s domestic 3D printer industry and put Japan back on the map as a maker of the machines. Will it work? Well, while there definitely is an interest in 3D printers here in Japan, and people do have a lot of disposable income, it remains unclear whether or not Japanese consumers will spend, and only time will tell.
So, Why SCOOVO Instead of the ‘Cube’ and ‘Cube X’ from 3D Systems?
OPENCUBE cites a number of factors that, in sum, put their product on par with those of foreign makers in all important features, and even exceed them in a few. Their big bullet points include:
Green Tech: SCOOVO’s internal structure is easily recyclable, their organically based PLA filament is less toxic and effusive than the more commonly used ABS, and the device as a whole is designed to require less operating energy. (recent studies have also pointed out how usage of 3D printers lessens environmental impact).
Attractive Styling: well, not a huge issue, but they do have a point – a lot of 3D printers are a bit… gangly. In a boxy sort of way. Also: color options!
Ease of Use – Equipment, Setup, and Software: OPENCUBE says its print head, the nozzle, is designed to be much less prone to clogging, and easier to clean if need be. Connecting to the printer is as easy as plugging in a USB cable to any modern PC. Also, once your design is squared away and ready to print, preferences are set with a familiar pop-up window interface commonly used with paper printers.
One Year Warranty: Brand new, relatively untested product; we hope they’ve got tech support standing by.
The last factor, something OPENCUBE is very eager to mention at any opportunity, is probably the greatest advantage of all: being here, living here, working here, and natively understand the mindset of the Japanese consumer. Not that 3D Systems can’t hire capable Japanese representatives, but they definitely cannot say: Made in Japan: Repeatedly pointed out in the marketing materials, often accompanied by something along the lines of “Unlike foreign brands, our manuals and software are in Japanese!,” for a consuming public largely unversed in the minutiae of 3D printers and their features & capabilities, this point is probably OPENCUBE’s biggest hook in the domestic market.
And that last bit, well, it is a fair point, and it would serve OPENCUBE well to remain clearly and acutely aware of WHY that’s become a selling point for their product, i.e., until now, Japan has totally missed the 3D printer boat, and as a result, consumers here finally understand how Americans in the early to mid-1980s felt when all those Japanese VCRs started arriving stateside with instruction manuals written by the human equivalent of a beta Google Translate. Just remember, Americans tolerated unreadable Japanesese-made VCR instructions because Japanese-made VCRs were awesome, and American-made VCRs weren’t really… in existence, or were just terrible.
Source: AkihabaraNews.com