How to Make Money with a 3D Printer

The invention of 3D printing technology changed the manufacturing process. It enables users to convert innovative ideas to reality. What miracle a 3D printer can print that looks like from a picture? Are you curious about a 3D printer and planning to buy one? If I told you that 3D printing offers many business opportunities and you can make money with a 3D printer, you might have additional thoughts about purchasing one. Let us have a quick look at how to make money with it.

How to use a 3D printer to make money？

As 3D printing is applied in more and more fields, the market demand for this new technology is booming, which means more and more 3D printing business opportunities for entrepreneurs or individuals. Here are the main tips for building a business with a 3D printer.

1. Selling 3D printing designs

You can get a profit by building 3D model designs. You don’t even have to own a 3D printer. Only if you are able to make awesome designs for those, who have a 3D printer, they will enjoy purchasing it. 

When you have excellent designs, then where to sell them? Shapeways is a powerful site where you can share and sell your designs. First of all, you need to open your shop on the website. When your designs are ready, you can put them in your shop and make them available for visitors to purchase. What you need to do next is wait for customers to order it.

There is the detailed instruction on how to open a 3D printing store. A tool, CustomMaker, will make your design customizable on this site, which gives your customers a chance to get a more personalized 3D printing model.

2.3D print for others

Another way to make money with a 3D printer is to 3D print for others or sell your 3D printed items. Sometimes companies or individuals need to produce 3D printed items but they do not require investing in buying a printer. In this situation, if you have a 3D printer and abundant exquisite skills in 3D printing, you can help them make their ideas come true. What you need to do is to find a suitable platform that can help you implement your services.

3D Hubs is a popular e-commerce platform for 3D printing. The procedure of selling a 3D printing service is very simple. You just need to list your 3D printer and take orders. If you do not know how to open a store online, we will guide you through the process. First of all, start a new account with a valid email address. Then make a detailed description of your 3D printer. After that, register an account and explore more opportunities to start your 3D printing business.

3. Rapid prototyping services

3D printing technology enables people to produce scale prototypes in a short time. Unlike traditional prototyping methods, a 3D printed rapid prototype presents your concept visually or tests the feasibility of an end product.

The advantages of rapid prototyping with 3D printing are as follows:

1. Take less time and cost to produce a prototype.

2. Mistake rate in design or manufacture is decreased a lot.

3. Make it possible to create a more complicated end product.

Major manufacturers and designers claim 3D printing is an important element because 3D printing can help them improve designs and reduce costs. Various business sectors apply rapid prototyping services. The practice proves that prototyping with 3D printing has a remarkable improvement over the traditional way. It can help enhance the design and reduce cost, especially for designers and manufacturers.

With the help of 3D printing, you can get a realistic and more accurate prototype to reduce design error and refine it before mass production. A Polish company YEL engineers created a prototype bridge for testing design.

Additionally, prototyping with 3D printing is a good thing for architects. Thanks to rapid prototyping, they won’t have to spend a long time to wait for making model. Nowadays, 3D printing technology helps you create vivid full-color models only in a few hours. If you have a functional and powerful 3D printer, you will make prototyping for the above companies.

4.3D printing courses

It's a cost-effective way to use 3D printing to teach students subjects like construction, engineering, design, and architecture. 3D printing kills two birds with one stone: cut down training costs, and improve the educational condition.

3D printing courses develop students' ability to design and make products manually in primary or middle school. From these courses, students will learn how to develop customizable products and experience the operating process of 3D printing.

As 3D printing gains more and more acceptance, some universities also offer courses in the application of 3D printing. Some experts state that 3D printing will play an important role in sport, design, engineering, architecture, and more. In a British university, Sheffield, there is a Master's degree in Additive Manufacturing Technology, which covers engineering form and the 3D printing process. Students will learn how to design, handle, and create components. 

Tips: a multifunctional 3D printer

Besides the above four methods, there are many ways to explore how to gain profits with 3D printing. But it is better to invest in a multifunctional 3D printer, especially with transformable heads. We highly recommend a powerful and good-to-use 3D printer, DOBOT Mooz. With this 3D printer, you can not only conduct 3D printing but also perform CNC carving and laser engraving. Thanks to its high precision, advanced stepper motor, and multiple functions, it will help you make a 3D printing career.

To cut a long story short, 3D printing has changed our life a lot. It is a noteworthy example of converting knowledge into a profitable investment. You can start a business by providing a 3D printing service, selling 3D printed items, or teaching others how to 3D print. If you are ambitious to make more profit, then a multi-tool 3D printer is worth considering investing in.