14 DAY TRIAL // Dell and MakerBot have joined forced to sell professional computers in a bundle with 3D printers in the United Kingdom. This marks the evolution of a deal between the two, dating back to January.
Dell is the first corporation to give such a huge acknowledgment to the 3D printing technology, upgrading the perception of 3D printers from interesting curiosities to potential game changers.
Previously, Dell Precision workstations already were hardware and software bundles that could help small and medium businesses perform general tasks or fulfill very specific sets of needs depending on setup.
MakerBot 3D printers will now allow such clients to produce, let's say, three-dimensional city/building models (in the case of architecture firms), upcoming product mockups and other customized paraphernalia, like paperweights.
If Stratasys hadn't bought MakerBot back in 2013, it might have ended up doing it just because of this deal with Dell. It has given the company a lot of clout and legitimacy on the 3D printing front. Expanding the deal to the UK means the US run was successful, further expanding business prospects.
It's also a bit ironic though. Stratasys already was well established in Europe when they bought MakerBot, seeking a foothold in the US.
Business tactics aside, though, it is highly probable that other deals between PC providers and 3D printing companies will arise after this new development. Often, a precedent is all that is needed to get the ball rolling.