3D Printing Q&A

[d12dozr]

Ask your 3D printing questions below!

In Dukejazz's 3D printing news thread, Solo asked:

@unknownuser said:

I swear I read at least one story a day about 3D printing be it on Wired, Mashable, gizmodo or some other article and they all suggest to me that this is the future.

So, what now?

How can I make money doing 3D printing?

When should I buy a 3D printer?

Which one do I buy?

These are just the easy questions, the big one is what do I use it for and what material do i use, how fast will my printer be obsolete by a faster cheaper one?

Anyone here got a 3D printer and making money?

I really would like to get involved but do not know how or if it's worth the cost.

I've spent the last 5 years working in 3D printing, so I'll answer these questions as I have time to the best of my knowledge. If anyone else has questions, ask below and I or someone else with knowledge will answer.

Q: How can I make money doing 3D printing?
A: This one's a biggie, and one I hear a lot...Sell modeling services, sell 3D printed products, or sell 3D printable models (sorted in order of most -> least likely to make money). There are literally dozens of other ways to make money in the field, but for most of us on the forum that know how to 3D model, this is going to be a huge advantage.

Q: When should I buy a 3D printer?
A: Don't be in a rush. At this point, Spring 2014, the printers that have nice output are too expensive for a small business just trying to make a buck, and the ones that are less than $2,500 are generally difficult to maintain and have a rough surface finish. My recommendation is to use a service bureau like Shapeways, i.materialise, or MakeXYZ.

Q: Which one do I buy?
A: If want a printer for general use, look for a Rep-Rap style printer like Ultimaker. These printers are relatively cheap, use cheap material and are safe enough to use in your home or garage. If you find a niche market, then look for a printer that can accommodate your needs. There are many kinds of specialty printers, i.e. full color (good for architectural models), resin (good for high detail prototyping), ceramics, wax (for casting metal prints), and more.

Q: Anyone here got a 3D printer and making money?
*A: I have a Solidoodle 3D printer, and am making money, but not directly from the printer. The printer has a 6" cube printing capacity, uses ~$30 spools of filament I buy online, and costs $700 (I got lucky and won it in a contest).

I make most of my money in design services for people that want to 3D print something, but don't have the modeling skills and 3D printing knowledge. See, modeling for 3D printing is different than just making a model to render - you have to take into account material properties, minimum details, wall thickness, and the model has to be "Solid" or it won't print properly. There's more too, but that's a good start.

The printer is nice for prototyping because when I'm designing a product for a client, I don't have to wait 2 weeks to get a model back from a print service. In an hour or 6 (depending on the size of the model), I have a prototype ready to test and re-design.

I also make money selling finished 3D printed products online. My big seller is a line of medical jewelry, printed in Sterling Silver or 14K Gold by a print service. I got lucky and found a niche that wasn't being filled by anyone else, and the 3D printed products fill it perfectly.

The hard part about all this is marketing - getting the my services and products in front of the right people...meaning you may be the best 3D printing designer, you aren't going to make a penny if the right people can't find you. I have a website that I get some business from, but so far 3D printing work alone isn't enough to support me.

Because of my website and other articles I've posted online, I have been approached to write a book on 3D printing with Sketchup and asked to speak at a business conference...so my marketing is starting to work. The whole 3D printing field is like the wild west right now, and savvy people WILL strike gold.*

(I'll edit and add to this first post as more questions come in)

[solo]

Thanks for the answers.

I'm trending towards candy at this point as I come from a confectionery background and thinking about personalized chocolates and maybe in future if the tech is right to go into hard candy.

[d12dozr]

Pete, I added more above.

Regarding candy, I think this is going to be HUGE. 3DSystems, the largest 3D printer manufacturer on the planet, just announced a commercially viable printer will be for sale this year. You can actually buy 3D printed candy (13 pcs for $36!!!) on their site right now.

[cotty]

@solo said:

Thanks for the answers.

I'm trending towards candy at this point as I come from a confectionery background and thinking about personalized chocolates and maybe in future if the tech is right to go into hard candy.

It has begun
http://www.3dsystems.com/press-releases/3d-systems-sweetens-its-offering-new-chefjettm-3d-printer-series