How to Start a 3D Printing Service
Regardless of the industry where you operate, 3D design can be an essential asset. Indeed, it can be of help to you in more ways than you can imagine. Its little wonder so many 3D businesses are springing up. The technology behind the 3D can help you to develop any project.
Starting your 3D printing business is such an exciting endeavor as it offers a lot of fantastic opportunities. Nevertheless, there are steps to take in ensuring you get your business right off the ground on the right foot.
Below are things to do when starting your 3D printing business;
Planning Your 3D Business
As an entrepreneur, an achievable business goal is quite vital. These goals will help in achieving specific prospects in your business and help in unfolding some unseen loopholes.
Cost of running a 3D business
The finances associated with kicking off such business are quite friendly. Most organizations started on a moderate income; hence, no extravagant financial cost or need for bank loans. You’ll need a printer since you’ll be buying one, you can quickly settle for a commercial model. A typical commercial 3D printer costs $5,000 or less these days. However, models are available at a variety of prices.
What makes this business more alluring are the minimal running costs involved.
Owing to the fact this business can be run right from your home, the only necessary cost would be paying to host a professional website, which is usually less than 100 Dollars in a year but, you can also keep paying for advertisements, which is hopefully less than that monthly. However, aside from that, you’ll also have to buy the materials that have been exhausted.
Your target market
Depending on your area of printing specialization, your clients may vary accordingly. Hobbyist is one lovely group you should look out for. It goes as far as media houses wanting to change ideas in branding and advertising or gamers wanting to print characters or sometimes object for their campaign. Hobbyist is one rare group with a definite interest and readily available income to carry out those interests.
How does 3D Printing Design Business make money?
One is sure to make money from a 3D printing business by delivering 3D prints to designated locations. Moreso, money can be made by collecting copies of requested designs from customers who could not choose a particular print shape or couldn’t easily select their preferred print shape.
Financial Profit Of A 3d Printing Business
The absolute amount of profit to be made is not certain; regardless, the expected yield would be of an impressive start. Research studies once showed that a typical 3D service made an estimated average of $52,000 yearly. Finding what works from various versions of products, similar advertising would make the sky one’s limit to raking in profits.
Branding your business
Selecting a business name is essential. If you’re experiencing difficulties in choosing a business name, reach people who are geniuses at coming up with a cool business name affiliated with your printing business.
We advise you always verify if your business name is available when registering your business in your cooperate affairs.
How is the regular daily routine in a 3D printing Business?
The most critical day-to-day tasks will be designing 3D objects and finding a means of selling them to customers. As long as you aren’t collaborating with a third party like Shapeways, you’ll spend most of your time designing and printing objects.
And if you aren’t occupied with this, you’ll be searching for new methods of advertising the services you offer digitally.
Essential skills and experiences for building a successful 3D Printing Design Business
To make your 3D designs special and unique a software like (blender) coupled with the experience of using it is necessary.
You need to have sound knowledge and great experience in using and troubleshooting your 3D printer, especially when you do the 3D printing yourself.
Making your services stand out amongst its competitors can pose an obstacle to your success, mainly because of the 3D printing market; this is why you should get familiar with the market.
3 Ideas on How to start your 3D business successfully
- Subcontracting
Print and sell! This is the most common method of making money with your 3D printer. This personalized, cheap manufacturing service is offered to individuals who are in urgent need of components.
The workflow is very much like this:
- A potential client approaches you with a 3D model that has already been made and asks you to print it.
- You propose a particular rate at which you’ll print the file.
- The client agrees.
- You print the component in the required amount.
- You give them the component (or components) by post.
Business Model of the Subcontracting
It’s an easy and straightforward business model; however, you need to keep in mind some things. Like every other business, you need to be visible if you want clients to find you. This model much depends on your ability to advertise successfully (which isn’t a challenging task, nor does it cost a fortune). You can start by creating a group or community on Facebook, LinkedIn, or Reddit to keep posting daily updates. By doing this, you tell your relatives and friends that you can print anything of their choice at any given time.
Since you just started, you might only need to spend a small sum of money for advertising on Instagram, Facebook, or Google. You may also apply to be listed on Craft cloud, All3DP’s 3D printing and price comparison service platform, so long you have a quite sufficient capacity.
The expenses to be taken into consideration for this business model will be the cost of the 3D scanner (or printer), advertising, insurance (since it involves a product), site costs – if you set up at home, you will have to consider how this impacts the insurance and electricity bills – and supplies (e.g., furniture, nozzles, bed adhesives, sheets). However, it depends entirely on the printer you are using; the setup cost maybe $1,000 to $10,000. You can also have to start small and local.
When you offer customers’ quotations, your service charges will rely heavily on your tolerance for risk and several other variables. It is generally known that 3D printers can be temperamental beasts, but you may need to make provisions for failed builds and waste resources at your own expense. The best way to measure the cost is to charge the hourly rate, including the component’s manufacturing costs. It would help if you were also charged for the time spent on it. For instance, a printed part can require substantial support removal or bonding if it is an intricate multi-part design.
There are also possibilities for additional value in this 3D printing business model. For example, you can charge an extra fee for post-processing, like smoothing, baking, painting, or assembling. The advantage of using this technique is that you can invest as much or as little effort into it as you like or can spare. It’s also highly flexible on-demand since you can still keep adding printers. You can move from one printer to the whole printing farm, steadily creating your 3D printing empire, layer after layer!
Subcon Lite
If the thought of advertising and promotion makes you cringe, all is not lost. There are a lot of sites out there that will do all the difficult work for you. You can join a network such as Treatstock, for instance. These networks connect potential customers to printers, oversee more of the customer’s acquisition and interaction, and let you do what you can do best.
2. CAD (computer-aided design) Engineering.
Nowadays, there are still few engineers and workshops working on 2D drawings. And many of them use components that are quite old; either the drawings have been lost or they didn’t have drawings in the first place.
The workflow of this proposal is as follows.
- A potential client approaches you with a 2D drawing of a part that they want to be printed or a substantial part that they wish to scan and print digitally.
- You propose a price for the time you’ll spend in using CAD to build a virtual twin of the component and the cost of printing the part.
- The client agrees to this.
Since it’s a 2D drawing, you can use your hard-earned 3D modeling skills to build the component. But if it’s a physical component, based on how complex it is, you can use tools for taking measurements (like calipers) for precise measurement and modeling of the part.
- Alternatively, you can use 3D scanning to create an STL.
- You can use your 3D printer to print as well as test the component geometry.
- If it is valid, if more durable products are required, you can use a service like Craft cloud to get a supplier you can subcontract to.
- You post the newly printed component to the consumer and submit it to the digital twin digitally.
Business Model of the CAD (computer-aided design) Engineering
To reiterate, you would have to make sure that you have publicity. Making connections with engineers is a perfect way of getting your name out there in this kind of job.
Furthermore, you will need to keep in mind that you are accountable for these representations’ authenticity. This implies the insurance is compensated for this requirement and also for the items you buy. You may still need to consider the cost of a 3D scanner (or how much it takes someone to scan for you). Setup costs for this 3D printing business model are estimated to be about $2,000 and up.
When you are quoting, you will have to consider when you need to build parts correctly. You would still need to pay for any money spent on subcontracted scanning (with a discount on yourself, of course! The best way to quote on this type of job is to charge the day’s rate.
In addition to your 3D printing abilities, you would require some outstanding CAD skills to make this a viable choice. It might not be the right choice if your 3D journey has only just begun.
3. Products Development
This stage is fascinating. You can use your CAD knowledge and your 3D printing expertise to present some fantastic new items to the market. When everybody else is out there promoting t-shirts with cats on them, you could create unique and cool things, make fabulous jewelry, or craft unique ornaments!
The workflow is merely inventing ideas for goods that you think people would want or like.
- You’re going to sketch out your designs and start designing 3D models.
- Printing those samples.
- You verify and validate the goods by showing them to colleagues, relatives, or even prospective customers.
- You will iterate based on the responses gotten from your users to produce a more attractive and potentially profitable product.
- You perfect your product and sell as many of it as feasible.
Another way is using 3D printing to make jewelry by using the lost-wax casting technique. This will require several additional steps after Step 3
The business model of the Product Development
This model will need a strong focus on sales and promotions. You’ll need to be ready to go out and promote your goods to people: makers’ fairs, networking events, markets, and even to ask vendors to sell your products on your behalf. Another means is the development of a web store and e-commerce sites like eBay or Etsy.
It will also be heavily dependent on your design expertise. You’re going to need specific fantastic CAD skills to bring your designs to life.
This model’s startup costs could be as small as $1,000; it depends on the tools you choose. You could only use your computer printer to review your drawings, subcontracting the actual production. This is valid if you have explicitly printed jewelry. Precious metal printing is exceptionally pricey.
If you plan on going down the lost-wax casting jewelry lane, you would need to consider both the cost of the printing material and the cost of the metal you intend to use.
The cost of your goods depends on a few things. If it’s a bespoke, one-off product, you’ll need to charge for the design. You’re going to need to charge for both the design time and the cost of production. If the design is for something you distribute in bulk, then a discount on production cost is probably still the best way forward.
Six ideas that can make your 3d printing service successful
- Print-based on demands
Printing other people’s designs is a common way of making money using a 3D printer. This business strategy is incredibly simple. It only involves offering to publish someone else’s 3D file.
Sadly, this sector of the market has already gone viral, and many individuals have adopted this model, so if you’re going to succeed, you’ll need to be very creative.
Firstly, you’ll need to choose and establish your area of specialty in the market. This is vital as you can’t please everyone; it’s also crucial to create a group of loyal and committed customers who value and respect your work.
To start, you can sign up on online marketplaces like Shapeways or 3D Hubs and grow beyond them, but that’ll take place when you’ve gathered enough experience and decided who your target customers will be.
Perhaps, collaborating with customers isn’t your thing; you can try selling your services to other companies. Typically, other businesses have much deeper pockets and are frequently in need of 3D printing services, and they make their demands in bulk most of the time.
Shapeways or 3D Hubs is an excellent place to start then you can progress steadily once you’ve created a niche market.
Having a niche market is imperative; you can’t possibly please everyone simultaneously.
When you’ve created a customer base, you can easily change your 3D printing brand and service.
- Launching a 3D Printing and Designing Service Center
After offering 3D printing services, the next step would be starting a service that handles the whole process to take things to another level. By using this business strategy, your customers will be allowed to come in and discuss what they intend to print. After noting their desires, you can design the product and eventually print it out.
Designing a 3D model and printing it is very expensive, but you can quickly grow if you make B2B customers your target. However, you can also render your services to individuals who search for people capable of designing and creating working prototypes of products in the future. Companies would undoubtedly need prototypes, and prototypes are quite costly.
Now, this is where 3D printing comes in; it dramatically minimizes the cost of production and speed. You can launch a business that especially creates prototypes for other companies. Aside from rapid prototyping, you can also design and use 3D to print products for digital stores. E-commerce companies are always searching for credible manufacturers so that they can prevent specific problems like long production times and lousy quality control. This is where you come into play by offering a more convenient and affordable solution to their problems.
As you design and print products for digital stores, you are offering a solution to a significant issue in the e-commerce industry and making lots of profit at the same time.
- Design 3d Printing Files
Do you enjoy designing 3D objects? Why don’t you start creating and selling 3D designs digitally? This strategy is even easier than starting a 3D printing service. You need to create an account on an online marketplace or start your very own digital shop. You can design certain tools for carpenters or other professions. You can also sell the designs to companies so that they can print them out themselves.
Furthermore, you can do something artistic. Nowadays, museums, interior designers, and architects are searching for prototypes and other models. After creating your niche market, you can build your business by moving from digital market sites and developing your website. But before doing this, you must have a loyal customer base because many people don’t buy from unverified merchants.
Hopefully, you don’t need a massive amount of money to launch this business successfully, as there are 3D modeling software suites that are very effective. The most significant investment you can make in this business is your time. If you want to make lots of profit, then you have to take time to learn the secrets of 3D modeling.
- Customizable Accessory Company
This kind of business holds endless opportunities. Individuals like unique items could be pet collars, glass frames, phone cases, picture frames. This kind of business has massive growth potential, provided you establish your niche. There are several kinds of these companies all over the world, so standing out is vital.
For instance, you can launch your business by providing customizable phone pouches. These pouches can have custom inscriptions on them. Afterward, you can increase your offer by adding phone cases but with custom 3D graphics.
Although starting your business with customized phone pouches isn’t necessary, it’ll depend on your imagination. Designing customized eyeglasses are also viable. Your customers can choose what they want on the frames and arms if the eyeglasses. This business model needs a little more investment compared to the others. Since you’re just starting, you’ll need a minimum of four 3D printers because of the demands. Secondly, you’ll need to create customizable 3D models with different iterations of it. You should have a dozen different designs, which are twice the customization choices. After doing the system, you can now start your digital store.
You can employ a web developer, or you can do it yourself. Hiring one will cost you money while doing it yourself will take your time. It’s left for you to decide. It’s imperative you start small; trying to please everyone will only cost you your money, time, and peace.
- Spare Part Company
The major problem in repairing old cars is getting spare parts. This is where you help. Your business can be the one that creates and sells a variety of spare parts for vintage cars. Even though you cannot print an engine or transmission, you can print almost every other thing. Since polymer and metal parts can be printed, you can cover the automobile’s interior and exterior.
But if printing spare parts don’t catch your fancy, you can provide replacement parts for old hardware. This market is not common, yet so you have a great chance of growth. We would advise you to start selling spare parts for only one type of device automobile. It doesn’t have to be something revolutionary. Providing replacement chassis and keycaps is a great place to begin. As time goes, you can grow your business and start offering parts for several hardware types or even collaborate with electronics stores.
- Customizable Toy Company
Your only limitation here is your imagination. A 3D printer isn’t even needed to start this kind of business. You can begin selling 3D toy designs on digital sites so that customers can have them printed later. However, when you have many customers, you can create your website.It doesn’t always have to be children’s toys; older people can get toys too. This market is hugely competitive, so you need to decide on the kind of customers you want to lure before starting. Once you’ve done this, every other thing would fall in place so long you are experienced in 3D printing.
Conclusion
If you have a 3D printer and the skill to create custom 3D designs, nothing is standing in the way of you starting a business. Before you start, do your homework. Research the market; see if there is a demand for a product you’re trying to sell. You should also ensure your business model is a good fit for the customer’s needs and wants.