…so there’s an article about 3D printing in the paper today here, how it’s taking off after Covid n all - I was just wondering… has somebody done the economics on this? Is there money in it? They said 244,000 people were taking the course on Coursera - lemme get this str8: the printers still cost a ton of money, especially the metal ones, but - are there 244,000 separate PRODUCTS to be printed in the 1st place? That’s what I dont’ get! If 1 guy designs one product, a million copies can be made of it (assuming the actual printers are there), so only one 3D printing guy got a job! Does the whole thing work out?
I’m sure there are people on this board asking themselves this question,…trying to work it all out…let’s get the discussion started, shall we…?
You might be able to make money from a 3D printer if you made a unique design (that can be printed) and place it under patent protection (so you are the only one who can make it).
The big thing with 3D printing though is the ability to actually manufacture various items at home. Once they become common, there will be millions of people who will actually lose money initially because their jobs have become obsolete (because for simpler products, you can just make them yourself). On the flip-side, it will be easier for some to start the business they wanted because they can make their envisioned product without having to deal with manufacturing contracts (at least to start with).
i make about half of my money with 3d printing but those are custom jobs for artists (mechanical parts, architectural models,…) and not stuff with one million copies.
3D printing is so much more than just printing finished parts. At work we always print prototypes of parts before spending loads of money on injection tooling, and I expect other similar businesses to do the same.
Also, if someone would start a business around 3d printing, it’s not just one guy who’d go a course. There are a lot of people outside of engineering/actual users who get helped by knowing how their tech works.
3D printers certainly don’t cost ‘a ton of money’ - not any more. Even resin printing is incredibly reasonable now at entry level. Sure, metal 3D printers are, but that’s because it’s still an emerging tech, and has not reached anything near ‘mainstream’ yet. Standard 3D printing - with plastic - is pretty accessible these days, and at entry level, you can pick up a printer for ~200 or less of your currency of choice.
3D printing has been around for a long time, but it’s only the last 10 years or so it’s really taken off and, thanks to china, has become accessible to the average Joe. Covid didn’t cause it to take off, it just helped it along, and made more people aware of it’s capabilities.
As for ‘is there money in it?’ - heck yeah! There are people who run print farms, who do nothing but print models for people 24/7. These can be practical prints, prototypes, or they can be little trinkets or figures. The prop making community does a lot of 3D printing too, and you can find many people on Etsy who will sell raw prints of props for decent amounts of money. Have 5-10 printers running 24/7 and only print large helmets from a popular film or TV show? You’re going to make money from that - depending on how good the quality is, a decent amount. 3D printing in the traditional way is really cheap, which mean if you’re selling something, it’s mostly profit. Of course there are issues with that - copyright etc…
There are millions of things to 3D print. Just go to a website like Thingiverse. It’s full to the brim with models.
Sorry, don’t get it. The guy who OWNS the printer makes money, the guy who MODELLED the helmet makes some money (maybe $10 PER DOWNLOADED MODEL, NOT PER PRINTED HELMET!!!). So how do WE make money again? WE. US. For firing up Blender, clicking File->Open… 3D print model or whatever…is a recipe for making 10 paise a month.
Weigh in?
Where is the requirement for 100 million separate models (not products), ASSUMING that there were people to buy them…is what I’m getting at.
I have two 3D printers. Both were inexpensive. They are not about making money. They are about making things.
I do know some people who have managed to generate a reasonable profit from their 3D printing. There’s a market for 3D printed vaping mods. The people who design and print them sell the actual printed products as opposed to selling their 3D print files.
So there’s two ways this works.
The guy that owns the printer ALSO modelled the file - so it’s all their money.
The guy that owned the printer PAYS the guy who owns the file a percentage - normally agreed by the file owner, and not the printer (They’re doing the easy bit).
There is of course the 3rd option which is that they guy who owns the printer is a dick, and just takes files without permission and prints them anyway…
A helmet - lets say a 3D printined Stormtrooper helmet - in one piece will sell easily for $150…each one. if it’s a 50/50 split, that’s still $75 to each, minus filament costs (electricity is negligible) easily $50 profit to the printer guy.
If you’re removed from the printing process, and just make models - you make money by selling your 3D files. There are a number of platforms that allow you to do this. You make them ‘print ready’ and export them as STL files. You then upload them to your platform of choice, and you slap a price tag on it.
I don’t really understand your last point with the 100 million models. There is no requirement. It’s supply and demand. If there is demand from something, someone, or more than one person, will meet that demand.
If what you’re saying is: how does something that can be infinitely re-produced have value, it’s simple. Just because something has the potential to be infinitely produced, by anyone, doesn’t mean it will. It’s not currency. And although, yes, a saturated market would affect the price, it’s unlikely that something would come along from 3D printing that does saturate the market in such a way. Just because I can print 100 of the same thing, it doesn’t mean I’m going to, right? Unless there is demand for that 100 of x, y or z.
Like any market, you would have to compete. Which means getting to know the ins and outs of the market and being a big part of it. There seems to be quite a bit of money moving in the miniature models market for both D&D type of things and direct strategy like Warhammer.
https://www.myminifactory.com/ seems to be a popular place where many people sell their models for 3D printing. The quality and price seems very good, so I personally couldn’t really compete on that level.
I use Blender for my 3d print models, but I don’t try to make money from it. I use it for hobby purposes. But I have got friends who have bought minifigs designs etc. and got me to print them for them. They are okay, really need a resin printer for those, but I am not buying a 3rd printer to print random things for friends, as it is all probono.
I know CHEP on his you tube channel made quite a lot of money by 3d printing those letter flags they have on post boxes in the US. So people certain do do it. There are also several print services you can use via Thingiverse.
As others have said, a decent plastic printer is peanuts these days, but other materials like metal are probably not in the range of a startup company.
But that will change, like the telephone, TVs and computers, it will move from the few to the many,
You can still order metal prints online from places like Shapeways etc. Haven’t looked into the pricing, but can’t be more expensive than custom 5 axis milling.
i don’t understand what you mean? yes, i am making it.
i have clients that sometimes need something 3d-printed (mostly artists) and i model it in blender for them (or sometimes cad software) and then i print it either with my own printer or if it has to be a material i can’t print i use some service like shapeways.
i think 3d-printing is very overhyped and its abilities exaggerated. for the average household it’s useless and i don’t see how the current technologies (fdm, laser sintering, stereo lithography) can be improved that much. there won’t be a star trek replicator anytime soon.
that said, 3d-printing still is extremely useful for many things. many people just don’t understand what its strenghts and weaknesses are.
i think 3d-printing is very overhyped and its abilities exaggerated. for the average household it’s useless and i don’t see how the current technologies (fdm, laser sintering, stereo lithography) can be improved that much. there won’t be a star trek replicator anytime soon.
that said, 3d-printing still is extremely useful for many things. many people just don’t understand what its strenghts and weaknesses are.
There are often people on the Noob 3d printer channel who will ask ‘I have bought a 3d printer, what should I print?’. These people shouldn’t have bought one. But others, like myself, were already getting other people to 3d print stuff on our behalf before finally decide it would be more convenient to get one, or two. I think you already know (or should do) if you need a 3d printer before buying one.
Making a model and putting it up on Shapeways, or iMaterialize etc. for others to buy is how you make money with 3D printing. One cool model uploaded, the rest is done by Shapeways. If it is popular, you can make some serious money. Blender however has a issue with color UV mapping for 3D printing using Cycles, but Blender Render will do it.
I think these questions would be better answered in forums about 3D printing, rather than in a forum created for Blender use. Searching online for answers to your questions will also provide a plethora of information for your use. For example, this link https://www.mark3d.com/en/economics-of-3d-printing/ may answer your question for the economics of 3D printing.
I apologize If I seem to be rude with my observation - it was not my intention.
If you have a business education, or you come from wealth, you can make money doing anything. Otherwise, it’s not about making money, it’s about getting a job.
