Calling all hobbyists, entrepreneurs and anyone who loves to tinker: there is a new shop in town, or at least there will be on Thursday.
Steam Factory, a 3D printing business in St. Paul, is set to open its first membership-based retail shop on University Avenue where it will offer 3D printing, manufacturing and design services to just about anyone with an idea, said owner Rick Beddoe.
A trained mechanical engineer, Beddoe said 3D printing thus far “lives in a bubble of manufacturing.” With Steam Factory’s retail storefront, he hopes to burst that bubble.
“We’re trying to bring this industrial process into the light and make it accessible,” he said.
Founded in 2015, Steam Factory is named after the common STEM acronym: science, technology, engineering and mathematics, plus “art,” Beddoe said.
Located at 2650 W. University Ave., Steam Factory houses more than a dozen 3D printers — six of which are the latest model from Formlabs — plus a classroom area for workshops, a coffee bar and a 3D printer that was built with 3D-printed plastic components.
The 2,500-square-foot space is clearly influenced by the steampunk design with metal lighting fixtures, wooden work benches and a coffee table created from the hatch of a World War II Liberty ship.
How it works
With four levels of membership ranging from $0 to $40 per month, members of Steam Factory will have varying degrees of access to 3D printing, prototyping and scanning as well as design, engineering and manufacturing services.
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“You can go to the library (to print) or be part of a club, but the problem with those is that they aren’t moderated,” Beddoe said. “We’re going to help people utilize design tools, help them learn and grow.”
If you have an idea in mind, stop by the store and Beddoe and his team will help you bring it to life. If you have a design ready, send in the order online and pick it up when it’s done.
While the membership gets you access, the bill for printed pieces also takes into account the material cost, print time and labor. Smaller pieces can print in just hours but more complex projects could take longer.
So, what can you create? “Pretty much anything,” Beddoe said, as the machines can print in more than 50 materials including nylon, resin and plastic. “We have materials that are rigid and durable to really flexible like silicone and clear parts that are water-tight.”
Phone cases, gaskets, toys, pen holders, lenses and miniature figures are just a few examples of things that can be created from a 3D printer.
Jewelry can be made with a 3D printer using a process called investment casting where a wax model of the jewelry piece is printed, then encased in a mold so when the wax is melted out, you’re left with an intricate cavity to pour molten metal into. Steam Factory, a 3D printing business, opens its first retail store on University Avenue in St. Paul on May 1, 2025. (Courtesy of Steam Factory)
Through investment casting, 3D printers can also be used in the jewelry-making process. During investment casting, a wax model of the jewelry piece is printed, then encased in a mold so when the wax is melted out, you’re left with an intricate cavity to pour molten metal into.
“We can make just about any kind of part you can imagine,” Beddoe said, adding that some of the furniture parts at Steam Factory were 3D printed, including the light fixtures and table brackets.
Whether you’re a student planning a final project, an aunt wanting to create the perfect birthday gift or a DIY dad who refuses to pay full price, Steam Factory can most likely help you get where you need to go.
Proprietary printing
While the model for the retail store is to walk in and print it yourself, Steam Factory also prints proprietary products for local businesses at the nearby University Enterprise Labs, a life science incubator for startups.
Take Virtual Radiologic, an Edina-based teleradiology practice and one of Steam Factory’s clients, for example.
As a teleradiologic practice, vRad hires remote radiologists to read studies for hospitals across the country, said John Musick, radiologic systems trainer for vRad. “We equip our radiologists with very expensive work stations,” Musick said.
The vGrip, made for Virtual Radiologic by Steam Factory, is used by radiologists to help streamline the diagnostic process. Steam Factory, a 3D printing business, opens its first retail store on University Avenue in St. Paul on May 1, 2025. (Courtesy of Steam Factory)
Part of this work station is called the vGrip.
“The device is basically a super fancy, form-fitting mouse with buttons at each digit that you can program to interact with our software,” said Eric Perrizo, help desk lead at vRad. “We can customize it to our radiologist’s workflow and it puts less stress on their hands.”
Before partnering with Steam Factory, vRad ordered grip devices in bulk from China, “but we didn’t know we should have stored them in a temperature-controlled environment,” Musick said and, as a result, they deteriorated.
“Radiologists are fastidious creatures and they won’t tolerate a sticky device,” Musick said, so he put out a call on social media for local 3D printers and that’s how he found Steam Factory.
“Rick’s been a great partner to work with. He’s kept us informed and solved any issues on his side and kept production on time, at cost and in some cases cheaper,” Perrizo said.
“Almost all of our equipment that we send to the radiologists have Chinese components, if it’s not entirely manufactured in China,” Musick said. As a result of President Donald Trump’s tariffs, vRad is paying about 20% more for its equipment, he said.
Local, customizable manufacturing
As uncertainty looms around a trade war and U.S. companies are looking at domestic manufacturing, 3D printing could fit the bill for some cases.
“Having a local manufacturer meant that we could have adjustments made with a month’s notice,” Musick said of the vGrip, adding that they have plans to make the device more ergonomic.
Andrew Brown, co-founder and CEO of Radwave Technologies, said his company turns to Steam Factory to create rapid prototypes, which they usually receive within a day.
Radwave, which is also located in the University Enterprise Labs, creates tracking components for minimally invasive surgical procedures.
“I see it as an accelerant,” Brown said of 3D printing. “It’s not just trinkets and prototypes anymore. The materials he’s using are in our production systems.”
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Steam Factory also buys locally, getting its 3D printers and materials from Minneapolis-based EAC Product Development Solutions, where Beddoe also works as an engineer.
Where Beddoe’s business provides the printing as a service, EAC provides the hardware and materials to make the printing possible, said Lauren Adey, business unit director for additive manufacturing at EAC.
“I think it is only going to get bigger,” Adey said of 3D printing service bureaus like Steam Factory. “Low volume manufacturing is a need.”
Steam Factory grand opening
When: 4 to 9 p.m. Thursday, May 1
Where: 2650 W. University Ave., St. Paul
RSVP: http://pipr.es/0ssX22R
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