3D Hubs was arguably the greatest thing to happen to the Maker movement in 2013. Not only did it give makers an easy outlet to share their 3D printers with the community, but it also let us get a pretty good idea of what 3D printers were popular among said makers. In December, the Ultimaker 2 reigned supreme, and it looks like not much has changed in the new year.
This morning, 3D Hubs published its monthly 3D printer trends report with the Ultimaker 2 once again taking the top spot among the most popular 3D printers. It’s important to note that this is only among 3D Hubs users and many of its users are from Europe where the Ultimaker is sold.
Of course, it’s not like the Ultimaker is coasting at the number one spot. It’s having to fight some serious competition from the Up! Mini and Solidoodle 3D printers. 3D Hubs also notes that MakerBot’s Replicator and Replicator 2X are crawling their way up the top 10 list.
Ultimaker may be big in Europe, but it can’t compete with the large variety of 3D printers available from its competitors. Stratasys, a company that owns both Objet and MakerBot, is the number one 3D printer manufacturer with the RepRap DIY kit in a close second. Ultimaker proves its popularity, however, by coming in third place and beating 3D systems for the placement.
As for the number of printers on 3D Hubs, the site reports that it now catalogues 2,500 3D printers from all over the world. That means there are 2,500 individuals, companies and maker spaces making their presence known on the Web. This will hopefully lead to more people getting access to 3D printers and bringing this transformative technology even more into the mainstream.
Read the full January report here if you want to see more info, including popular materials and a breakdown of popular 3D printers by region.
Image via Ultimaker