How To Start a 3D Printing Business (With Tips)
If you're interested in 3D printing or turning your digital models into real-life collectibles, then you may want to start a 3D printing business. It's a field where you can use your creativity and IT skills to produce a product.
Learning about 3D printing and the potential business prospects can help you determine if this is the right path for you. In this article, we explore what 3D printing is, how to start a 3D printing business and why you might start one.
What is 3D printing?
3D printing is a technological method of producing products and designs using a specialty printer. You can program the printer to create items through a process called additive layering. This process uses thermoplastics, or other materials, and layers them into pre-programmed shapes. The material exits the printer's needle in a molten state to create each layer.
The machine then waits for the material to dry and continues, fusing the layers together with adhesive or ultraviolet light. This process can take several hours, depending on the design and the printer. 3D printing is faster than traditional methods of production, and each individual printer is relatively small compared to most industrial equipment.
How to start a 3D printing business
When starting a 3D printing business, you might consider following these steps:
1. Educate yourself about 3D technology
Educating yourself on the most recent technology and applications of 3D printing can help you make informed business decisions and provide quality products. It's important to learn how to operate and complete quick repairs on 3D printers so that minor obstacles in production don't affect your workday. It can be a challenge to find universities that offer degrees in 3D printing, but many offer online courses and certifications in operating 3D printers and creating the digital models that they copy.
2. Decide on a market
Once you understand the basis for the operation and production of 3D printed products, determine what your business is going to produce. It's helpful to look into local demand, like if there's a growing community of entrepreneurs that needs prototypes or a tabletop gaming group that might order miniature figures. This can help your business gain customers by appealing to existing markets. If you plan to appeal to an existing market, consider contacting businesses and communities that you might collaborate with to gain insight and expand your reach.
3. Plan your strategy
Decide whether you're going to operate from your house and whether you're going to be the sole employee. If you aim to start your business at home, then you might consider where you can set up your operation and how many printers you can successfully operate in that space. This may also require you to find more neutral or online spaces to meet potential clients or investors. If you aim to produce an original creation, it's beneficial to look into renting out your printers and outsourcing them to other services for supplemental income while your product develops.
4. Choose your 3D printer
When researching what 3D printer is right for you, remember that you may not need a full-scale, industrial printer. It's important to stay within your budget and ensure you find printers that work with the materials you use. For example, if you plan on producing small but intricate pieces, one powerful 3D printer could work, but if you plan on creating larger, simpler pieces like kitchenware, then several mid-tier 3D printers might be appropriate.
It can also be helpful to look for 3D printers that come with benefits after purchase, such as a warranty or customer support. These can help with any issues that occur throughout your work and ensure that production goes efficiently.
5. Research filaments
Filaments are the different materials for 3D printers. It's important that you research which filament is best for your product, as they can vary in usage and conditions required to print without warping. To help you start your research and get an idea of what might work for your product, here's a list of some common filaments with the pros and cons of each:
ABS: Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene is durable and cheap, but can produce irritating fumes and requires a heating bed to print.
PLA: Polylactic acid is organic and prints fast, but it's weaker than ABS and can warp under high temperatures.
PETT: Polyethylene terephthalate is FDA-approved and doesn't warp, but the printer nozzle and heating bed require fine-tuning to use it.
Sandstone: This material has a unique exterior finish and doesn't require a printer bed, but it's not as durable as others.
Wood: A wood material has adjustable aesthetics and shades, but is more malleable after printing than other materials.
Metal: Metal is durable and doesn't need a heated bed but may take longer to shape.
Flexible TBE: This material has a rubbery elasticity and high-quality form but needs fine-tuning to emerge from the nozzle.
6. Decide on a brand and platform
The last step before marketing yourself and selling your product is to choose a name and brand for your new business. It's essential that you distinguish your business from others and communicate what your business offers effectively. You might achieve this with a logo or label that you use to create a website and other platforms on social media. If you start with a physical storefront, use the logo as a basis for decoration and store design. There are also several websites that allow creators to operate shops through their site.
What types of products can a 3D printer create?
3D printers can create a wide range of complex designs for products that you can sell. If your design has several moving parts, you can create them individually and connect them. Some of the more common markets where 3D printing businesses is useful are:
- On-demand prototypes
- Customizable eyeglasses
- Collectible toys, board game pieces and parts for toy repair
- Smartphone cases
- Home decorations such as plates, photo frames, planters and cutlery
- Spare parts
Why start a 3D printing business?
Here's four reasons you might start a 3D printing business:
1. Sustainability
Most 3D printing processes produce little or no waste, and the additive layering process uses all or most of the material. Many of the filaments the 3D printing uses are biodegradable or recyclable. Due to the quick production time of 3D printing, it can also use less energy than industrial production lines.
2. Efficiency
3D printing makes increases in demand less of a challenge for production since the process is already efficient compared to industrial production. It also means that clients don't have to worry about ordering too small a quantity to justify production or too large a quantity to overload production. 3D printers simplify multi-step processes, so even if you offer the service of cleaning up and sanding your products, the operation can still function efficiently.
3. Profitability
Even if you offer a niche product, structuring your business on an on-demand production and sale system means that you can avoid overflow. You can make all products when a client purchases them, so you spend no resources without adding revenue to the business. This no-excess approach can allow you to be more financially conservative at the onset of a business. This may also help if your 3D printing business is a side job.
4. Flexibility
Depending on the range of products or services you want to offer, 3D printing can be a relatively automatic process. This can allow you to market yourself and the business more or spend the extra time increasing your knowledge and skills for model creation and other filament procedures. It can also allow you to set your production hours.
