A 3D printer is a special type of printer used to make custom parts accurately. Although this machine has been in vogue for some decades, its benefits are rarely known by a huge number of people across the globe.

If you own a 3D printer or have acquired 3D printing skills, it means you are already on your way to becoming wealthy. All you need to do is follow the guides in this piece and choose the one that works for you.

There are various ways through which you can make money with your 3D printing machine, depending on your acquired skills in the operation of the printer and your budget too.

 

All that is required is your ability to be innovative and creative with your 3D printing device.

How You Can Make Money with 3D Printing

Use the skills you acquired to impact others on the use of the 3D printer.

One of the easiest things you can sell is your skills. You will be highly revered when you do so. When you teach people how to operate and become wealthy learning the operation of the 3D printer, you would have gone a long way, helping them gain something substantial from technology.

It is expected of you to acquire some skills which will aid in the successful operation of the 3D printing device. How then will you come to the awareness of those interested in learning how to operate the 3D printer? You can do this by creating massive publicity.

The truth is, so many people want to learn new things but do not know how to get started; neither do they know the benefits they’ll derive from the learning process.

The use of social media pages, including WhatsApp, Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, among many others, are practical media you can make use of to get people’s interest in learning 3D printing.

Virtually everyone these days makes use of the internet to get up to date happenings. Who knows, your awareness might pop up on somebody’s page who’s interested in learning how to make use of the 3D printer.

You could teach this by organizing seminars on the benefits 3D printing has to offer them when they subscribe to your class and how they can become their own boss after acquiring this skill.

 

Create 3D designs and sell them to customers

This is one of the easiest ways to start your online business as you do not even require anything at hand before starting. There are many people across the world who seek great 3D designers. Even prominent companies that sell products from 3D printers are always on the lookout for new designs and they are always willing to pay anyone who’ll produce great 3D designs for them.

Generating a beautiful and unique 3D design isn’t something that can be easily done. Even some owners of 3D printers find it difficult to design 3D files. What they do is to give the job to those who are good at 3D designs and get them paid for it.

Another important point you need to note is that you do not necessarily have to own a website to start up, as there are many online channels that allow you to directly sell your 3D designs to customers.

Shapeways is one of the online 3D design selling companies. They make provision for tools that you can make use of to build your own online store. This will give you the opportunity to sell every design you make under your brand’s name, and it will also go a long way in helping you to expand your business, introducing a 3D printer to commence your 3D printing. Also, you’ll be able to set up your own selling designs website with your name.

This is one of the easiest ways to generate money with 3D printing. In this case, you do not need to buy a printer. That is why it is expected of you to have mastered the skills from the onset.

 

Start 3D Printing for Commercial Purposes

Over time, 3D printers have been used to successfully make complex designs easier and faster than the outdated style of designing. It is cheap too. All it will cost you is your time and your sellable skills.

If you can make beautiful 3D designs, you can go about introducing it to small businesses and local engineering companies this is because they are lagging behind and do not know how to go about flourishing their business with its use, unlike big firms and businesses that have already started making use of 3D printing technology to build archetypes.

Ensure you are able to convince these firms about the massive benefits they stand to gain from the use of 3D designs to help grow their businesses, and this means that you must have become an expert in 3D printing if you seek to commence a 3D printing prototypes.

In a situation where the companies already have the 3D printers in place, it won’t be out of place for you to introduce helping them with 3D printing designs.

 

Start an online-sale website

E-commerce allows individuals and companies to buy and sell from the internet. Here, you can print from a few designs, and as the business expands, you can print more designs.

At the start, you might not need to design a website. You can make use of other online platforms that already have customers visiting their websites.

This will go a long way in helping you create your client base. Meanwhile, you should expect rivalries from other 3D design sellers; however, your designs will be in higher demand if they appear exceptional.

You can advertise your designs on various social media networks, and with time, you can create your own website.

 

Set Up Your Service Centre

Here, you are expected to set up a website in order to take orders from individuals and companies across the world to get their designs printed and dispatched to them.  All you have to do is accept the designs and print them just the way they anticipated.

In this case, it is not your duty to design the prints yourself, and if it’s requested of you, then you can charge more, making you earn more.

How do you get customers to know about your services? Publicity is the soul of every business, and you can create this advertisement via social media platforms. This is the easiest and fastest mean to get across to people around the world.

In a nutshell, there are so many people who intend to start up their businesses but do not have any idea on how to go about it. This is because it isn’t a child’s play to start up a business; howbeit, this is not the same case with 3D printing.

You can start up your 3D printing business without the need for extra manpower, though you may wish to do as the business grows.

Moreover, you can work as a mediator, helping people to use their potentials which 3D printing has to offer them.

Now that you have been able to digest the guides above, trust me, it won’t be a cakewalk for you to take the decision on which of the steps above you’ll hone since having gotten yourself acquainted with the technology and honing your skills too, to making money with the 3D printing.

 

The Products You Can 3D Print to Make Money

Now that you’ve had the knowledge of making money from your 3D printer, below are a few among many other amazing products you can sell to make money:

Personalized Earpiece

Everyone who owns a smart device also owns an earphone, but the earphones are produced in different forms.

So many people find it difficult to use these earphones as a result of their sizes, which could either be too small or big.

However, with the use of a 3D printer, one will be able to design different kinds of earphones and as well 3D print the sizes upon request.

In fact, these earphones can be sold at a cheaper rate as a result of the material one will be using, which will not be expensive.

3D Print Fashion Accessories

Customized accessories such as rings, bracelets, and earrings can be printed with the use of a 3D printer within a couple of hours. The materials which will be used will be less, and they can be sold at high prices.

Kids’ Toys

For every home where there are little children, it will be difficult for you not to find toys of variant sizes and shapes in there. You can earn more money by designing and printing toys that will be safe for kids using a 3D printer.

Toys of different styles, sizes, colors, and many others can be produced with the aid of the 3D printing device.

Home Décor

In recent times, almost everyone gets busy with maybe one job or the other, and they wish to return home to get relaxed for the next day’s job. How easy will this be for them when they have the house unkempt? While rest is needful, so also is a healthy environment.

With the use of a 3D printer, you can make beautiful designer items that will be useful in every home. Interior décor such as clocks, toothbrush holders, curtain rings, vases, and lots more can be produced using the 3D printing machine, and they can be put up for sale online at a cheaper rate. Meanwhile, you’ll still be making enough profit from it.

Making Movies Props for Fans

Some fans break a bank just to get props from their favorite movies. This might sound funny, but it’s true. They do a lot of funny stuff to look the same way as their favorite artist in a movie they have just seen.

It won’t be a bad idea if you take the time to print different models of props for fans. Although designing it might be time-consuming, but it will definitely pay off.

 

Best Online Platforms to Sell Your 3D Prints

 

Treatstock: This is a 3D-based network that brings about connectivity between clients and 3D designers. It is an industrial platform having only 3D service providers on the platform. For you to get started, you have to create an account on here and start fulfilling orders on 3D designs.

Shapeways: This is a 3D service platform designed to find prospective customers and to also make and receive payment for services. Registration on the network is free. All you have to pay is a token from your huge income.

Also, freelancers can be hired on this platform who will help to create several 3D designs and as well provide you with ideas needed on matters relating to 3D.

On this same platform, you can start with no design and end up with exclusive products.

MakeXYZ: This is an easy platform where customers, 3D designers, and other designers collaborate to generate notable replicas.  The platform is not hard to use and contains features beneficial to both customers and designers.

3D Hubs: This platform is designed solely for the purpose of 3D designs. It is a user-friendly network where you can easily find customers for your on-demand printing services. Also, you can easily create for yourself a free account on the platform, after which you can proceed to register yourself as an owner of a 3D printer who’s ready to pick up printing and designing job.

Fiverr: This is a freelance network for diverse freelance jobs. The platform comprises a variety of customers, service providers, and freelance designers. Through this platform, one can easily get clients, and your clients will leave reviews after you’ve worked for them, making you gain more customers on the internet.

Other Online Platforms include;

  • Cults3D
  • Threeding
  • Pinshape
  • TurboSquid
  • Sculpteo
  • Ponoko
  • imakr
  • CGTrader
  • i.materialize
  •  3DExchange
  • Daz 3D and a host of many others.

The fact that this technology isn’t well-known across the globe is an added advantage for you to make money from its products. However, users always want to benefit from all shades of technology it provides.