6 Ideas to Make Money With a 3D Printer
Can you make money with 3d printing at home?
Well I made money. And it wasn’t with sexy products. It was by printing auto fasteners. But, designing and printing 3D products in your home is not the norm. You have a unique opportunity to learn the 3D expertise and pick up a printer to make some real side money. You can cash in on 3D printing in several interesting ways.
While 3D Printing is still a relatively new concept for many people. Regardless of where you are in the printing or designing process, it takes only a little digging to see how the money can roll in. I want to be upfront with you that Learning 3D Design or how to Design in Fusion 360 could take up to 6 months. But you don’t have to design the products. But, your young at heart and have this passion so I hope these 6 Ideas below help you out - Ryan
Idea 1 - Sell Your Own Designs without a Printer.
I first made skate board lights and one of the initial ways to make money with a 3D printer didn’t even require that I owned a 3D printer. If you have designs for a 3D printer that someone with a printer, or with access to a printer wants, they might very well purchase your designs if you position the sell right. Shapeways is a place where you can open a 3D printer shop. These folks are the Etsy or Ebay of 3D printing. If you have designs or models ready, you can make them available at the Shapeways website for customers to buy. Because it's print-on-demand, nothing is made until a customer orders it. Shapeways has tools you need to build an online shop, and the site offers a tool called CustomMaker you can use to customize your designs. This is one way to let your customers turn your 3D designs into something more personal to them.
Idea 2 - Prototypes
One way to cash in on 3D printing is to offer local engineering firms help with 3D printing prototypes. This is a good idea if you're a 3D designer because you don't have to worry about the printing yourself. Just design products for them and have them do all the printing. Chances are they already have a printing service or on-site printing capabilities.
Idea 3 - Teach 3D Printing
More and more people are interested in 3D printing. They are students who are looking for careers in 3D design or 3D printing specifically. You can offer to teach classes for a fee and teach students how to set up and use their own 3D printers. Advertising on social media sites and job offer websites is a place to start.
I cover how to make money educating in my course 3D Printing Side Hustle. It covers my whole journey transforming my garage into a small scale manufacturing machine. It’s not just 3D Printing it figuring out how to get paid. Shipping and the nitty gritty business side of things.
Idea 4 - Print for People
3D Hubs and MakeXYZ have been growing like crazy and offer a nearly instant way to get into business as a 3D printer owner. You list your printer on their networks, and potential customers, usually local, can find you and request 3D printed work to be done. Consumers, business owners, and busy engineers at large companies are often in need of 3D printing help. You can also list your services on offer up. You can be the one to provide that service, locally or online, if you are willing to ship items to customers.
Idea 5 - 3D Scanning Services
So many options here. Like you can help Jewelry designers to scan their designs and migrate to a 3D model and then locate electroplaters in your area and find a way to combine forces.
Idea 6 - Metal Plating 3D Printed Objects
RePliForm works with anyone who has a 3D printer, but you could find platers in your area who would welcome new work, and then you can offer to coat your prints in nickel, silver, or gold.
