Leapfrog has partnered with Ricoh Europe to sell its Creatr HS 3D printer
Ricoh Europe has announced a new partnership with Leapfrog 3D Printers that will see Ricoh become an official reseller of the Leapfrog Creatr HS 3D printer and other models in Europe from later this month.
Initially available in Belgium, Germany, Netherlands and the UK, with wider availability across Europe to come, this is the latest in a series of new announcements from Leapfrog this year, seeing it step into the market dominated by MakerBot and Ultimaker.
Ricoh will provide a complete package of support for customers around the Leapfrog 3D printers, including the ability to add 3D printers to existing Ricoh imaging print service contract.
Ricoh and Leapfrog 3D Printers will initially maintain focus on customers in the education sector, expanding to support customers in the engineering and manufacturing sectors over time.
Both companies are well established in the education sector, where schools, colleges and universities are using 3D printers to enrich teaching across STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) and design subjects. Leapfrog 3D Printers already provides educational 3D print packages and curriculum materials, while Ricoh offers tailored print installation, management, training and support contracts.
Today’s news follows a global announcement from Ricoh Company Ltd. in September launching a new additive manufacturing business and outlining its broader 3D printing strategy.
This included the opening of two Ricoh “Rapid Fab” facilities in Japan to offer 3D print services to customers and spearhead research and development into 3D printing technologies and applications.
For Ricoh it already has an established 3D printhead development and manufacturing operation, acting as an OEM for a number of 3D printer manufacturers.
