3 Business Ideas for 3D Printed Products

Investing in a 3D printer opens up a world of opportunity for anyone who wants to try to make a little money with this tool. Set up your own site with Editor X and start to think about some of the fun things that you could do using this tool. There is so much on offer when it comes to creating 3D printed products, and it could open some extremely interesting doors to those who want to pursue them.

Prototypes

3D printed products are being used in many different projects all around the world. It is a cheap way to make fairly durable pieces of any specification. Some can be printed and used as soon as the s are removed, others might require a little more assembly before they are ready to use. However, this system is a great way to draw up a prototype quickly to see if an intended design will work before it is created in another material.

It might be too expensive to draw up a prototype in the final material to be used, especially if it is a high-cost metal or wood. A 3D printed prototype might not be able to for all factors, such as the weight of the material, but it can give some companies a rough idea as to how the final product might look.

At the same time, commissioning a single prototype from a company with a 3D printer can be very expensive, especially if you are just a hobbyist dabbling on the side. Setting up a business that facilitates small-scale prototype runs of one or more units can therefore be a great option.

Designs

With any 3D printed design, someone needs to be the person to come up with the design in the first place! If you are a creative person who loves problem-solving, creating designs and STL files could be a good move for you. You can any design you make and attach a small fee to it so you get paid every time someone chooses to one of your files. Some might even like to take on commissions, allowing others to get in to have you create something unique just for them.

If you wish to start creating designs, it is important that you also begin to interact with the community online. There are plenty of people out there already creating designs as you intend to do. You need to make sure that you in with the community in of discussions. Why not take a look to see if there are any contests or forums that you can that can help you build up a little bit of interest in what you have to offer?

By promoting your designs in these spaces, you have the opportunity to gather some interest in what you have to offer. Push out consistent, high-quality designs and collaborate with other designers where you can.

Personalised Products

Of course, you do not have to create something new each time. You could very easily choose a few designs and set up shop creating just these items. This makes you more akin to a traditional merchant – with the 3D printer being your tool of choice.

The main benefit of doing so is that you can offer personalised products to buyers. Even something as simple as choosing the colour of the final product can be great to offer as a choice to customers, but there are several ways you can take this customisation even further.

For example, a great personalised gift from one person to another can be a Spotify code. When scanned by the app, they will take the to a specific song. It could be a loved one’s favourite, a couple’s first dance, or even just a song that reminds someone of a specific time and place. Printing these in the form of keyrings can be a brilliant gift to offer in your shop and is just one example of the many types of products you could make. Personalisations can be as small or as big as you need them to be, it is up to you as the seller!

These are just three types of products that you could consider offering if you want to create a business using your 3D printer. This is a very flexible tool and it will the most creative people in their endeavours. Have a brainstorm and think about some of the things that you could create that people might want to buy. Set yourself up with your own website and a few forums where you can connect with other 3D print fans. Before you know it, you could have a nice bit of income coming in, all thanks to the pieces you are printing for your business!