Ricoh Europe Partners with Leapfrog 3D Printers

Ricoh Europe today announced a new partnership with Leapfrog 3D Printers that will see Ricoh become an official reseller of the award-winning Leapfrog Creatr HS 3D printer and other models in Europe from January 2015.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. The partnership will initially be available to customers in Belgium, Germany, The Netherlands and the UK, with wider availability across Europe during 2015.

Ricoh and Leapfrog 3D Printers will initially 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.
The move into 3D printing is a natural evolution for Ricoh. It already has an established 3D print head development and manufacturing operation, acting as an OEM for a number of 3D printer manufacturers. It also has a number of technologies in prototyping and moulding, in addition to its accumulated experience utilising 3D printers for its own product design processes over the past 20 years.

Olivier Vriesendorp, Director, Product Marketing, Ricoh Europe commented, “As 3D printer capabilities develop, Ricoh customers in Europe are beginning to evaluate the role that this potentially game-changing technology can play in their organisations. This partnership with Leapfrog 3D Printers combines its award-winning range of 3D printers with Ricoh’s strengths in the education sector providing comprehensive service, from IT services to consultation, installation, training and support, to help customers apply 3D printing technology in their organisation. Today’s announcement underlines Ricoh’s next step in the development of Ricoh’s 3D printing business in Europe. As customer demand for 3D print steadily increases, we will continue to evolve our products and services to meet their needs.”

Mathijs Kossen, CEO of Leapfrog 3D Printers said: “Ricoh Europe shares our mission of adding real value for businesses and schools by providing them with a combination of the right tools and services. Besides high quality 3D printers, we also offer complete solutions that provide a customised mix of 3D printing hardware, software, print materials, and learning platforms to different user groups. I am very pleased that Ricoh will now add their state-of-the-art support and training services to this mix.”
(Source: Ricoh Europe)

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