Can You Make Money With a 3d Printer? (Explained)

3d Printers are incredible. They are machines that can make real, tangible things…from nothing. Well, not really from ‘nothing’ there is always filament but you get the idea.

This article’s goal is to explain if you can make money with a 3d printer and if it is something you should pursue as a business.

Answer To The Question Is It Possible To Make Money with a 3d Printer:

It is most definitely possible to make money with a 3d printer. In face there are more than one. In the rest of this article we will discuss how to make money with a 3d printer specifically and answer any other questions you might have.

How Can You Make Money With a 3d Printer?

As stated above there are plenty ways to make money with a 3d printer below we will go over different strategies:

Creating a TikTok Account and Website

Many people are interested to see designs be made through a 3d printer. It’s a satisfying feeling to watch something be created through a 3d printer. This is where TikTok Comes in. You can film yourself making designs with your printer. As you upload and get more popular on Tiktkok people will recommend more and more designs.

You can have your website linked to your TikTok account with all the designs you’ve made for sale.

This is a great way because when you get a lot of recommendations for one specific product then you know it’s a good product to sell.

Selling On Etsy

Etsy is one of the most popular marketplaces to sell goods. People are always looking for new things to buy on there.

Personalization is the key to selling on Etsy as many people always go for something personalized or unique.

3d printing is a perfect platform to sell on Etsy because of the endless possibilities and customizations you can do with your printers.

For example I came across a listing on Etsy for someone who 3d prints a small version of your car. If you’re a car enthusiast you’re probably familiar with how cool it would be to have a small version of your car.

The best part about Etsy is they give you organic traffic to whatever designs you have. So if the design is good there’s a very good chance they’ll get multiple orders.

Selling Your Designs

When it comes to 3d printing designs are the most important thing. Some people enjoy using their 3d printer but aren’t as good at creating designs. That’s where you come in.

So one of the best ways to make money via 3d printing is by selling your designs. If you’re creative enough and have an eye for what people want you can cash in on that. It’s also a fairly low risk method of making money because if your design doesn’t sell and nobody likes it, well then thats just that. You don’t lose any money since you didn’t invest anything into getting the printer or filament etc.

Creating a Youtube Channel Around 3D Printing

One of the best ways to make money with a 3d printer is by creating your own Youtube channel around it. People are always looking for tutorials about how to 3d print different designs, so if you’re capable of creating videos you can turn it into a business.

You can monetize via Google AdSense once you hit the YouTube monetization requirements and also make money through affiliate marketing when you recommend different brands to buy.

For example I came across a channel that does 3d printing reviews and they recommend different printers and filament brands etc. They’re actually doing fairly good as well, surely it can’t hurt having thousands of people watching their videos.

Create a Blog About 3d Printing

Creating a blog about 3d printing is also another popular way to monetize. As stated before there is a lot of demand for good information about 3d printing so if you’re capable of creating high quality content, it can be extremely profitable.

You can use Google AdSense or another premium ad network and start making money off of ads.

Just like Youtube you can also make affiliate income when you recommend products like filament, printers and software to use.

Create a 3d Printing Course

People are always looking to learn new things in this day and age, so creating a course that teaches them the basics of 3d printing is an easy way to cash in.

This can be done through Udemy or Teachable where you put your course up for sale and when someone makes a purchase you get commission.

There’s also different options available when it comes to selling courses. You can make them recurring or one time purchases.

If you’re course gets good reviews it can generate you a lot of money for a long period of time.

Build 3d Printing Houses

This company called SQ4D Builds 3d printed homes, which is actually one of the coolest things I’ve seen in a while. 3d Printed homes cut costs down by about 20% and take 24-48 hours to build and assemble.

Check out there website and the process of them building a 3d home.

How much money can a 3D printer make?

Whether you offer it as a service locally or sell online, there is plenty of money to be made via 3d printing.

If you put all the methods above together there’s no reason you shouldn’t be able to make a full time income.

What you need to keep in mind though, is that you need to get good at 3d printing.

If you’re not at the stage where you can produce high quality prints, users will take their business elsewhere.

Is 3D printing a good investment?

I think so, as soon as mass adoption hits it’s going to be a huge industry.

So if you want to get in now and learn how to make money with 3d printers, I’d say go for it.

Can You Make Money With a 3d Printer From Home?

It is possible to make money with a 3D printer from home, but it will require some effort and creativity on your part. It may take a while for you to get used to the technology and how it works, but once you do, there are a number of ways that you can start making money with your 3D printer.

Is selling 3D models profitable?

Selling 3d models is extremely profitable being one of the very few ways to make money from you 3d printer.

Just keep in mind that you need to create good models. If you’re desperate for a quick buck I wouldn’t recommend this method, because if your models are bad nobody is going to buy them even if they are cheap.

How much does it cost to 3D print something?

3D Printing is such a broad and new technology that it is difficult to ascertain an exact price for 3D printing services. This is because there are many different things you could 3d print, and the cost of the materials and printer used will greatly affect the price.

What Is The Downside Of 3d Printing?

The biggest downside to 3d printing is that the items are usually one, at most two materials. For example with a 3d printer you really can’t make a phone or anything that is that complex.

Conclusion

Hopefully you now have a better idea of how to make money with 3d printing and what the best methods are if you decide to invest in one.

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Also if you have the time, please take a look at our other most recent blog posts below:

Can You Make Money With a 3d Printer? (Explained)