A real business with a 3D printer

In general, a 3D printer is a very interesting thing and quite expensive. Recently, this device has gathered a lot of fans, and this is not surprising: a 3D printer allows you to "print" as small souvenirs, as well as large, huge objects, the use of which is found in the industry. In view of this, a variety of the most unexpected ideas appeared, how you can start a business with a 3D printer. To some extent, the technology of creating objects in a 3D printer resembles that of conventional printers:

- create a picture using a scan or computer program;

- the picture is output to the printer;

- Printing occurs.

What is the main difference between a 3D printer

The main difference between a 3D printer is that it creates a three-dimensional image by scanning an object. The picture comes either to the computer, or directly to the printer. At the command of the operator, the process of 3D printing is started, and now a three-dimensional object is created. There may be a question about what kind of material is used for creation. Usually it is plastic or other consumable material, which refills the printer.

It is this unique ability of the printer to create new items that spawned new ideas that made it possible for a business with a 3D printer. Be sure to review them in more detail. A little bit later.

Consumables

Creative business, 3D-printer. Where to begin? You should start with the components.

The material that is taken as a basis is determined by the future object.

ABC plastic. This material is very elastic, has a high degree of strength. The plastic itself is available in powder form or in the form of filaments. During printing, it penetrates the printer extruder, where it melts and then goes to the compartment ready to print 3D parts. Its main drawback is that it can quickly collapse under the influence of sunlight.

Polycaprolactone is a material with a low melting point. Can quickly harden.

Polyethylene of low pressure is a very versatile and at the same time inexpensive material.

Entrepreneurs + 3D-printer = business of the XIX century

Guess which material is used for printing in such printers? The most common food. Increasingly, they talk about cases when using a 3D printer create ... human organs! As a "paint" take the stem cells of a person or animal.

Costly software is the basis for a 3D printer. It allows you to control the process of creating a three-dimensional image of the object. To monitor printouts from simple models of a 3D printer, you can use the Google CketchUp program. This program is free.

Entrepreneurs quickly realized the full potential of this technology. One of the first opportunities to implement a business with a 3D printer was the production of toys. How did this become possible? Today this is not a secret: a scanned image was taken, which was taken as a basis for "printing out" small copies of domestic animals. Such a business using a 3D printer opens up a space for creativity and unlimited income.

Curious application of 3D printing was found in the tourist industry: tourists were offered their own (!) 3D images, made against the background of various world sights. It's a real business with a 3D printer!

The most courageous entrepreneurs have implemented 3D printing in the production of small household and sanitary items. There are cases of 3D printing in the field of dentistry. And why did they need it? Very simple - the creation of dentures, which are almost perfectly integrated into the patient's mouth.

The boy was raised a brush

In the media a while ago a case was widely covered when a boy-schoolchild was created with a brush so that he could work with both hands. It is noteworthy that the price of such a prosthesis on classical technologies was tens of thousands of American dollars!

These and many other examples have opened up a huge potential in the use of a 3D printer, especially in business.

Principle of operation

There is a variety of the most 3D printers, although the principle of work remains common: a layered direction of the material occurs, and as a result - a finished copy of the scanned object. In general, you can recreate almost any object on a 3D printer. Purely theoretically. Absolutely obvious are the endless opportunities for doing business in this super-promising area.

What parameters should I consider when choosing a home 3D printer? Indeed, when buying a smartphone or laptop, we often know what to look for when choosing. But when buying a 3D-printer, such selection criteria are not widely known. This part of the article will help you become competent in this matter.

Selection criterion # 1: price

In the World Wide Web, you can find ads with a price of about $ 300. On the territory of the CIS, the situation is somewhat different - here you need to be ready to "shell out" for an amount equal, for example, to the cost of 2-3 heaped-up smartphones. As a representative of the Russian research and production group, the cost of a 3D printer in our country is at least 45 thousand rubles. According to him, at a lower cost of the printer, you can expect problems, because the price is reduced obviously to the detriment of some components of the printer.

The expert warns that while in Russia, units of foreign companies have their representative offices. Therefore, do not expect service or technical support. There are also pleasant exceptions, for example, the company 3dphome, which is the official representative of the UP brand. The most budgetary option, which they are ready to offer, is 40 thousand rubles.

In addition, you should also consider the cost of consumables. Coils with a plastic thread will cost 2,000 rubles for a cartridge weighing one kilogram.

Selection criterion number 2: type of plastic

For printing household items apply ABS plastic. This material is of oil origin. As an alternative, PLA-plastic is used, which can be based on sugar cane or corn. It is worth noting that it is from PLA-plastic that plastic cups are made, from which we drink water on a hot day. In addition, this material is very environmentally friendly. That is, a toy made from it will not pose a threat to the baby: he can sleep with her in an embrace and even lick, if he wants.

It should be added that ABS plastic does not pose a threat to human health either. Moreover, it is more durable than PLA-plastic. Of course, when choosing a 3D printer, it is desirable to choose a model that supports both technologies of plastic.

Selection criterion number 3: multicolor

Inexpensive home models are not able to create an object that overflows with colorful colors. And the problem is just that you can not tint the plastic in the printing process. The maximum that can be done is to combine colors. How is the combination achieved? If you equip the device with several printheads. This is very similar to the "Soviet" ballpoint pen, where there were several rods with their own color.

In general, multicolored 3D printers are very difficult to construct. The speed of their work is noticeably slow, the printing is expensive. Therefore, while it is better to choose printers that print in one color. You can color it later, using a colored can.

Selection Criterion # 4: print resolution

Printing permission remains the most important parameter. This criterion is characterized by the minimum possible thickness of the plastic layer, which is involved in the formation of the object. As already noted, the printer creates an object on the principle of layering. The layers are very thin and therefore remain invisible to the eye. In view of this, the received items look very convincing!

3D printers for home use create layers with a thickness of 50 microns (at the cheapest models - 250 microns), although it was noticed that to create an object in good resolution it is enough and 100 microns. The diameter of the printing nozzle is very important: less - then the print will be more accurate.

Of course, all this is of particular importance when you need elegant items, where the detailing is done very subtly. Print a toy with eyes, a nose and a small mouth? This requires a good resolution. But if you need something like a bowl for a dog and another ware object, then there is enough thick layers. In addition, then you will save time and time, because the printing time will be less. And the material will also need less.

Selection criterion №5: print surface

Here the size is important: if you want to "print" a small object, then there will be enough surfaces with a length of 12 cm. For more "large-scale" items, of course, you need a printer with a larger area. Although we should not forget that even from small individual parts, you can eventually collect a great thing - there would be a desire and a good adhesive for plastic.

Business Ideas with a 3D Printer: 2 Curious Niches

As it was mentioned earlier, the most agile businessmen are already exploiting the possibilities of the outlandish device. Let's look at two niches where we managed to start a business with a 3D printer.

Niche number 1. The service for creating an accurate 3D mini-copy of the client. That's the doll!

In this example, a business with a 3D printer and scanner is considered. The client is scanned by a special scanner, and the resulting model falls into a 3D printer. You can do something like a plastic little man-fighter, with the difference that it will very much resemble a scanned customer. The time of such printing takes several minutes. Of course, the client is in a pleasant shock. In Japan, by the way, there are already similar 3D photo books, where they make such fighters-clients. Before printing, the model can be edited - with the help of, for example, "Photoshop" you can put it on any historical clothing!

Niche number 2. Businessmen in the US print popular superheroes of computer games through a 3D printer. The business is curious. The resulting model is sold for $ 100 dollars at a cost of $ 50. Profit! As an option, you can "print" the heroes of famous films.