"stick a CC-SA license on all of it and host it here."

That would be very interesting. 

I'll bet that if we were to try and raise a few bucks, like maybe everyone kicking in a couple of bucks, we could buy the name and IP, we could call ourselves co-owners of Solidoodle, and have the brand continue.

That would be pretty cool.  I'm in for a few bucks.  Anyone else?

I would invest if I knew what the debt is. I would totally want to help out.

While we offer virtually every printed, mechanical, and electronic part needed to keep your 'Doodle running, we also recently starting dipping into the XYZ community, have eyes on the Prusa crowds, etc. We are weighing the demand of different markets/demand as we branch out of the Solidoodle community. Our parts are drop-in replacements or even upgrades to many if not most printers (depending on the specific part in question in regards to the make and model). If a user of another machine needs a specific part, or a SD user needs a part we do not publicly offer, we would be happy to help where we can.

Like KWIK mentioned, there are many options to continue printing with a Solidoodle, even without PRINTiT, we would just like to help the community as much as possible in the process; while offering new upgrades like our HB 8.8 heatbed

-Kevin

Some of the Solidoodle printers are being cloned in china the only thing you are losing is  the assembled in the USA label and any added value that is worth.

The whole open source  design concept is about collaboration and people helping each other. It is not about a label or brand name. This forum is the Solidoodle community. Printit Industries is part of that community.  This community is to help owners of desktop 3D printers. Not just Solidoodle.

No one here will offer any warranty coverage    but we will help you find parts and fix your machine if it breaks. .
Tin

Rocketman wrote:

I haven't heard much on the company of late so I didn't anticipate they were on the verge of closing down. It's all so sad. It was a great company and had great customer support. I am worried I won't be able to afford personal 3D printing again anytime soon if my machine starts to fail. I'm terrified of having nobody to turn to for repairs, etc. Will any other company buy the brand? What's next?

A few of us started http://www.printitindustries.com/ for exactly this reason.  This community has and will continue to be better support than SD  ever dreamt of providing so you've got nothing to worry about.

Happy Printing

So will this company buy Solidoodle and continue its products? Otherwise I don't know why anyone would feel obligated to keep my machine running even if I pay for those repairs.

I haven't heard much on the company of late so I didn't anticipate they were on the verge of closing down. It's all so sad. It was a great company and had great customer support. I am worried I won't be able to afford personal 3D printing again anytime soon if my machine starts to fail. I'm terrified of having nobody to turn to for repairs, etc. Will any other company buy the brand? What's next?

A few of us started http://www.printitindustries.com/ for exactly this reason.  This community has and will continue to be better support than SD  ever dreamt of providing so you've got nothing to worry about.

Happy Printing

n2ri thought you might interested in this. They started up not too long ago.

http://www.inventorforgemakerspace.org/

Started by members of Arch Reactor who were too far away from downtown.

thanks, I get emails from the librarys and saw these listed, went to one that company done but havnt made any more meets. also on a FB  group the local St Peters makers started with that trying to start a space but a couple top members fell out so its dead ATM. some people get greedy and try to take over groups to collect dues etc. I guess since I dont need a work space or tools I just dont see the value paying upwords of $50 a month for a once a week meeting late on Friday (dinner time) 30 miles away near bad crime area. with only closed up industries around so your on your own if have trouble or need anything. plus no security. I worked weekdays in a bit better area in St Louis for 11 years that had 3 armed guards and 36 HD security cameras running 24/7 and still delt with lots of theft including 2 cars off lot per day. shootings etc near daily and no safe zone or place to stop for miles coming or going to work and home. lots of gun fights between cars while driving 2x speed limit on sidewalks etc in daylight while headed home, burned out cars on HWY you name it. its why I feel and look 20 years older than I am HA! so no city travel spots for me since retired/disabled. Ferguson was only a sample of how things been headed for years and its just a suburb about -5 miles from where I worked. I had to run videos back and burn DVD for police lots at the main site I was at even for the Officer that was assassinated in our alley a couple years ago.

so Arch Reactors site (old or new) just wont work for me. Mark Twain Hobby in St Charles would likely still let a group have meetings there periodically for up to 24 people, in their clinic/media room.

Sometimes an idea like that comes out of nowhere. I am now Licensed by Schwinn to produce any Trademarked parts. 

Next, my Motorcycle hobby presented some things that needed to be produced. I have a friend who created the X-Box and he helped me create this:
http://hyper-formance.com/Kill.htm

I now produce in-house over fifty items for the ZRX, most are unique items that no one else on the planet makes.

Go into life with your blinders wide open.

There might be a half dozen hobbies I would be interested in doing that I will never have time to fully pursue.  But watching from the sidelines as a spectator of sorts might be enough to find some opportunities.  With the ATV example, maybe I wouldn't have time and money to buy a trailer and drive around to events a couple of weekends each month.  But I might dabble enough to come up with ideas for mods or accessories to make. 

I imagine the best kinds of niches are the ones that aren't already populated by makers the way 3d printing, drones and robotics are.  Instead it would be hobbies where the participants don't commonly have 3D printers already, and no one is making the extremely specialized things they would want.

It might be a good reason to have a 3D Hub, even if it doesn't turn a profit and a bunch of requests aren't printable.  Assuming jobs come in, it gives you a chance to see what kinds of things people want to have made.

I have an engineer/Designer who is based there and has been a friend since day one that designs my cocktail napkin designs into prototype products for me to produce.

http://www.inventorforgemakerspace.org/

Started by members of Arch Reactor who were too far away from downtown.

seems main obstacle is 1st reliability in quality and communication/meeting attendance either due to other priorities or fear of unfounded competition. I had 13 local 3DHUBS but only 2 where still active plus myself and I was tied for top hub in the area with a total of 4 jobs in 2 years LMAO. that's why I coined the Phase 'Self Industry' but several 'self industries' can create a group of different abilities and function as a larger Industry to meet bigger goals, Grow and become self sustaining in todays strange economy like small businesses did during the 'Great Depression'

America has done this before and knows how to adapt and survive, even thrive in 'hard times' its our legacy and why the world will die trying to move here to enjoy our freedoms and why our borders are seeing great influx since they dont know how to go through proper channels legally mostly or dont meet criteria to do so.

but the drug trafficing has risen not only at borders but all over like any illegal activity will in bad economy with high rate of poor educated people. and it seems no politician has a clue about it nor how to fix it. like they say 'ya cant fix stupid'