You’ve just purchased a new 3D printer and are trying to figure out how to explain your new toy/investment to your spouse. So, we’re here to assist you in creating an excuse that will allow you to escape the disaster you’ve caused.
Is 3D printing profitable?
But first, let’s go to the bottom of this question. Is it possible to make money with a 3D printer?
Yes and no are the answers. It all depends on the niche you’re in and how to make money with a 3d printer. Because it’s for personal use, your profit margin may be low if you’re 3D printing for the broader public. Consumers adore low-cost goods. If you’re serving clients who have a costly problem that 3D printing can solve, they’ll be willing to pay you a lot more to fix it for them.
3D printing can be used in a variety of ways to produce money.
There are a few ways to make money with a 3D printer that we’ve highlighted here. Some of these suggestions are excellent, while others are not. But we’re going to list them anyhow, and it’s up to you to decide whether or not they’re worth considering. Let’s get started!
1. Use Etsy to sell pre-made 3D printing.
Etsy is one of the most popular 3D printing marketplaces. Because of its vast audience of people interested in homemade items, Etsy attracts many 3D printing amateurs and even professionals. Some have even created a name for themselves on Etsy, whether selling pre-made products with a bit of personalization or full-on 3D printed objects.
We were the first to sell 3D printed planters back in 2016 when we initially started. I made a lot of money, but I eventually had to cease due to copyright difficulties. But it was also because it wasn’t where we expected to find company.
Remember how we said that you shouldn’t waste your time with inexpensive clients? On Etsy, you’ll come across a lot of cheap customers. It is one way on how to make money with a 3d printer.
2. Provide a specialist 3D printing service
This boils down to deciding if you want to work in a niche that you’re comfortable with or if there’s enough margin for you to make a profit.
3. Open a 3D printing shop in your neighborhood.
We’ll start by mentioning that launching a 3D printing firm is the most challenging of all the other ideas on this list. We were lucky to be based in NYC, where 3D printing is in high demand, and to have started when 3D printing was still relatively new.
We’re not stating this to discourage you from competing with us; instead, we want you to be aware of the risks inherent in the 3D printing industry.
Fulfilling custom orders necessitates a significant amount of effort. You’ll end up doing many back and forth with clients if you don’t use an automated method. And if you use these rapid quoting tools, you may end up having a lot of low-end jobs while missing out on clients that have particular needs. This is one way on how to make money with a 3d printer.
The real money in delivering a 3D printing service, especially if you’re a tiny firm, is in being able to stand apart from the crowd.
We needed to evolve into more than just a 3D printing business. It may sound trite, but it was the truth. A marketing agency, for example, came to us for a 24k gold 3D printed trophy. However, we are aware that gold cannot be 3D printed. We have two options: instruct them to take it to a metal plating business or do it ourselves and charge extra.
We can charge significantly more because:
1. We’re willing to take all the risks. We’ll have to 3D print again if the metal plating fails.
2. Being an expert in this industry makes their life so much easier.
3. Because we guarantee results, we can charge even more if customers have a tight deadline.
Clients that value their time and outcomes would gladly pay you a high fee if you can deliver.
As a result, we teamed up with a local metal plating company and began offering metal plating services for 3D printing.
With more capabilities than just 3D printing, you’ll be able to charge more than just the 3D print.
It doesn’t matter if you’re painting or making molds. Whatever it is, you must locate the appropriate clients.
4. Make money from your 3D printing designs.
Running your 3D printer 24 hours a day isn’t the only way to make money with 3D printing. You can also profit from the sale of 3D models!
If you don’t have any design abilities, this may not be easy. On Fiverr or Upwork, you may either learn or hire a designer.
5. Create your own YouTube channel.
We all know it’s easier said than done. Content creation needs time, effort, and consistency. It may not be easy to distinguish out among the many 3D printing-related YouTube channels. It is one way to make money with a 3d printer.
However, we are not here to prevent you from creating your channel. We’re only here to tell you that it’s possible to profit from it.
6. Offer a 3D printing lesson online.
If you’re confident in your 3D printing abilities and enjoy teaching others, selling an online 3D printing course could be a good fit for you.
7. Make your 3D printer available for events.
The operation is pretty similar to that of a photo booth. For three hours, a bar mitzvah will hire you to 3D print keychains for them.
However, 3D printing is time-consuming. They’ll be upset since you didn’t 3D print for everyone.
Yes, this is a flawed idea.
8. You should sell your 3D printer.
If you sell the 3D printer you just got, you can make a lot of money soon. Guaranteed.
9. Make a three-dimensional print of the word “money.”
With this method, you can literally “earn money” with a 3D printer.
In conclusion:
Yes, you can profit from a 3D printer. You can do it in various ways, including selling 3D printed objects, digital goods, or even providing a 3D printing service in your neighborhood. Is 3D printing a simple way to make money? It’s not the case. To be victorious in the 3D printing industry, you must still work hard (and smart).