Partners needed
We are looking for partners who share our cause. In our promotion of marcosticks, we make available training and ergonomic marcosticks as learning aids. While these can be printed by enthusiasts for free, using their own 3D printers, most folks do not have 3D printers at home. We need partners who can offer ready-made marcosticks for purchase by netizens. We ask for no royalty fees. Please see licensing summary below. Click on this block to contact us.
This page is where we feature manufacturing partners who want to make Marco’s vision a reality. You’ll can purchase training, ergonomic and helper chopsticks from partners using this page as a portal. Marcosticks.org does not profit from transactions you conduct with these partners. This portal is only provided as a convenience for learners to find a place to get these marcosticks. If on the other hand, you have a 3D printer at home, please simply go to the 3D printing page, and download 3D models. For a summary discussion of these models, please see: Training Marcosticks That Work.
Utility patent applications for these training marcosticks have been filed. A few specific models were also detailed in design patent applications. But we are making all models free for everyone to print on their own, as long as you follow the Mark-and-go license. We allow explicitly-licensed partners to make and sell these marcosticks without royalty fees, as long as they follow the license terms. See MAG FAQs.
These 3D-printed marcosticks are not meant to be used for eating, right off the print bed. They are good for practicing the Standard Grip. Perhaps some partners will provide food-grade prints. But most probably won’t. If you plan to eat with them, do so at your own risk, after consult these guides:
Online marketplaces from partners
Please contact us if you want to become a partner and be listed here.
- Model B Chopstick Buddies
- Starter Pack for two people – 3D-printed in PLA
- Fit your own chopsticks pack – 3D-printed in PLA
- Model T Training Chopsticks
- MJF-printed with PA12 40% glass-filled nylon
On-demand manufacturing
There are many on-demand 3D manufacturing shops that can make unit products and ship them around the world. We have tried a few of them. But most do not have the right process and material for printing marcosticks, at a reasonable cost. Marcosticks need to stand up to high heat, if you want to epoxy-coat them for actual use. Marcosticks also need to be stiff enough for training and for practical use.
Following are manufacturing venues that we have used to print model T Training Marcosticks, with successful results. If you can’t 3D print marcosticks nor buy them from a partner marketplace, then you can always get them printed from one of these third-party print shops. But you will have to create an account with them, and upload appropriate STL files. Make sure to choose the right process and the right materials. Almost of of them will flag the model T as unprintable, and send you a rejection email, because of unusually small clearance between the C-hook and the groove, out of abundant precaution. You will need to reply or use online responses to instruct them to “print it anyway”.
print shop | model t price | material | picture | comment |
---|---|---|---|---|
Xometry | $16 | MJF PA12 40% Glass-filled | picture | Min purchase $30. Surface not as polished as Shapeways. |
Shapeways | $30 | MJF PA 12GB | picture | Better slicing. Polished surface. |
Sculpteo | $33 | SLS PA11 Carbon-filled | picture | Joint needs to be manually smoothed unlike MJF prints. Surface is rough. Much stiffer (good) and ligher (not so much) than MJF prints. |