UPS Offers 3D Printing in Stores

If you work for a startup, own a small business or are an entrepreneur, the UPS Store is about to roll out a new service that could radically change the way you use the package-delivery company: 3D printing on site.
The service will first roll out to its San Diego-area locations. UPS says it's offering 3D printing so companies can quickly and inexpensively create models and prototypes of items they plan to produce.
"Startups, entrepreneurs and small-business owners may not have the capital to purchase a 3D printer on their own," Michelle Van Slyke, the UPS Store's vice-president of marketing and small-business solutions, said in a release. "By offering 3D-printing capabilities in-center, we're able to help further our small-business customers' opportunities for success."

The UPS Store is currently testing the uPrint SE Plus, which — according to manufacturer Stratasys — is better equipped to print more intricate, user-generated designs than a consumer model. The uPrint SE Plus retails for more than $20,000, whereas consumer printers typically run for one-tenth of that cost.

Staples was the first company to capitalize on 3D-printing services last fall, although its offerings are only available online to users in select countries. If the UPS Store's first foray into 3D printing are successful, the company said it will expand the service nationally.