Jul 28, 2016 | By Tess
Le FabShop, the French 3D printing design studio which brought us a number of stunning 3D printable interior decor pieces, fun trinkets, and useful tools, has unfortunately just announced its liquidation. After 18 months of fundraising and searching for investors, the design studio is being forced to shut its doors and liquidate its assets after being in receivership for nearly a year.
Bertier Luyt, who founded Le FabShop in 2012 in Saint-Méloir-des-Ondes, made the announcement on July 27th in an emotional blog post. The company, which employed a number of talented 3D designers and makers such as Canadian Samuel N. Bernier, was not only responsible for a number of innovative, stylish, and often amusing designs, but was a pioneer of introducing 3D printing technologies into the French and European markets.
The sole distributor of MakerBot 3D printers in France, Le FabShop had been suffering financially for some time (as a result of the 3D printer company’s overwhelmingly slighted printer model) and decided to focus its efforts on 3D designing and innovations in other areas. And while the designs put out by Le FabShop are undeniably impressive, such as their 3D Printed Paris Lamp, this adorable children’s mobile, and a slew of other pieces, the company could unfortunately not recover from its losses.
As Luyt explains in his blog post, “Today, it is with our head held high that we write the last pages of Le FabShop’s history. A number of traces of our journey will always remain, however, such as 3D models, books, and ideas…I thank all those who have supported us for months, those who reached out to us with possible solutions, and those who called to check in.”
While the design studio is regrettably closing its doors after 4 years of dedicated work, Luyt is not worried about his employees whose talents and hard work will surely lead them to other fulfilling jobs within the 3D printing industry. As of now, there is no word on what will happen with Paris’ Maker Faire, which Le FabShop held the licensing to.
Here at 3Ders, we’ve been avid followers of Le FabShop’s work and designs and, like Bertier Luyt, have no doubt the FabShop team will go on to bigger and better things. To pay homage to the French 3D printing pioneers, we invite you to check out some of Le FabShop’s best 3D printed designs (all open-source of course!) and innovative ideas.
- Le FabShop’s 3D printed sliding Wolverine claws, designed by Samuel N. Bernier
- Le FabShop’s first green seaweed 3D printing filament
- Samuel N. Bernier’s 3D print lab on wheels
- Le FabShop’s interactive 3D printed window display in Paris
- 3D printed lingerie for Valentine’s Day, by Samuel N. Bernier
- 3D printed Star Wars VII Crossguard Lightsaber
- City inspired 3D printed Maison & Objet line of homeware
Be sure to check out Le FabShop’s Thingiverse page for more.
Posted in Fablab
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