Shapeways Community Member Anthony Hill makes Finger Boards. He hand crafts high quality Fingerboards from maple, oak and birch wood. These exquisite boards have 5 layers and 7 coats of lacquer. You can check out Anthony’s hand made custom fingerboards here. Anthony wanted to add a super special touch to his boards, so he got a Shapeways metal 3D printed branding Iron. Using that he can brand logos into the boards.
I love the idea of this so much! First of all, Anthony is running a micro-business. A business that would not be viable without the Internet. A business that exploits a tiny niche but is nonetheless viable because he can reach a global cadre of enthusiasts. Secondly the business is a customization business which of course I love and think represents a big coming trend as many businesses and products move towards higher value unique products because of customer demand. Thirdly, he’s used 3D printing in a business enviornment. But, the one thing I like most is that he’s using 3D printing because it is useful. For him the branding iron makes sense as an investment. The fact that it is 3D printed stainless steel is not the decisive factor in his purchase of it. He brought it because it allows him to add logos to a board quickly. You can see some more pictures on the forum or check out the boards on his site here.