When they hit the scene back in 2006, the TechShop business model had everything going for it: a fitness gym-like membership program for the use of manufacturing and other shop equipment.
techshop
Xeni Jardin Tours TechShop
BoingBoingTV’s incomparable Xeni Jardin took an extensive tour of TechShop, interviewing founder Jim Newton and several on site users of TechShop. TechShop is a chain of open access workshops containing various high-tech (read: expensive) manufacturing equipment that anyone can use. Hobbyists and small businesses bring ideas to TechShop and bring them to life. The concept… Continue reading Xeni Jardin Tours TechShop
Alternative to TechShop?
TechShop is a very popular service for skilled manufacturing hobbyists who just don’t have the space or funds to own their own 21st century fabbing equipment. TechShop addresses their needs by planting multiple well-equipped shops in various cities. But are they the only option? Fabbaloo has identified a potential competitor: eMachineShop. Well, not exactly.… Continue reading Alternative to TechShop?
Second Level Servicing
“Second Level Servicing”? What’s that all about? Well, it goes like this: services like TechShop provide access to high-power fabrication equipment that anyone can use simply by dropping by a TechShop. However, Breakpoint offers another possibility: He’ll drop by TechShop and build your project for you, thus creating a service on top of a… Continue reading Second Level Servicing
1,000 TechShops?
We’ve posted about TechShop before, but at a recent meetup in Portland, Oregon, visitors learned about TechShop’s plans for opening a new shop in that area. While the discussion is a bit clipped, there are tons of details about TechShop operating procedures, equipment and future plans. One ominous nugget said: the COO is from Kinko’s… Continue reading 1,000 TechShops?