METHOD AND APPARATUS TO FACILITATE THE USE OF ADDITIVE-MANUFACTURING MODELS

摘要

A plurality of geographically-distributed retail shopping facilities each have at least one additive-manufacturing platform such as but not limited to a three-dimensional printer. A control circuit provides an additive-manufacturing facilitation service that includes providing a remote user with a choice between providing an additive-manufacturing model to one of the aforementioned additive-manufacturing platforms to permit an item to be manufactured for pickup by the remote user at that corresponding facility and downloading an additive-manufacturing model to permit the remote user to themselves use the additive-manufacturing model (for example, in conjunction with their own additive-manufacturing platform).