Just a week after 3D Hubs' announcement of having reached 10,000 networked 3D printers, Shapeways seems to be entering the global production arena. Today, they have announced the brand new Global Partner Network initiative, which is designed to bring together the company and the 3D printing community to work together in a mutually beneficial relationship. About 500,000 people are members of the Shapeways community, coming from over 130 countries across the globe, and Shapeways is looking into the possibility of bringing together members' resources with their global network to benefit all. The Global Partner Network may just stand as direct competition to 3D Hubs' model. For more details about this announcement, check out the full article: http://3dprint.com/36984/global-partner-network/