How To Make Money With A Cheap 3d Printer? Complete Guide

If you are looking for how to make money with a cheap 3D printer, this article is for you! 3D printing technology is very flexible and can be used to make a lot of different projects, making them so much helpful.

If you use it in the right way, it can ensure a big return on investment.

So, what can you do to earn money with a 3D printer? Generally, there are 2 simple ways: Open a renting service or sell printed things.

In this article, we will talk more detail about them and other tips to make the most of your machine.

Stay tuned!

Table of Contents

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How To Make Money With A Cheap 3D Printer

1 – Renting out your machine:

A 3D printer can range in price from a few hundred dollars to well over 10,000 dollars.

You can profit from this by renting out your printer to others who require its services.

Advertise your rental item on social media or in the local ads.

You should have a simple contract in place that spells out the terms of the rental, as well as when the printer is due back and what happens if it is returned damaged.

The cost of renting a printer varies depending on the model.

2 – Building prototypes:

To make a complete product, we all need a prototype first.

Before 3D printing becomes popular, this step takes a lot of time and large investment working with a manufacturer to make one.

However, everything is easier now when you can 3D print it.

You can offer a service of producing prototypes for the companies.

Depending on the complexity, you can ask for hourly pay for your help and even an additional fee.

Because this service is always in high demand, it is a great opportunity for you.

3 – Opening a printing service

For a variety of reasons, some people may choose to have a product made via a 3D printer.

You may establish a business that prints things on demand.

The price you charge for printing services varies depending on the project’s complexity and the time it takes to create.

Making money with 3D printing can be as simple as beginning a print-on-demand business.

4 – Selling your own products

Printing and selling things is the best way to make money with a 3D printer.

You will need a way to sell your products or services, whether you create a print-on-demand business or 3D print home decor.

You can make your own things to sell online. We have a list below in case you still do not know what to make.

Many 3D printed products are easy to design and construct, making them an excellent choice for novices.

After that, you can sell your stuff on e-commerce sites like eBay, Amazon, and Etsy, or you can start your own online store to sell your items.

E-commerce sites or a company website can also be used to sell your things.

You might think about spending some money to create a website where you can sell your stuff.

In any case, selling your stuff is an ideal way to supplement your income.

Social media may be a great tool to promote your 3D printed items and services.

You can invite your friends and relatives to share your material in the hopes of attracting new clients to your service or business.

5 – Creating online videos:

3D printing is still very new, therefore there are many people who want to know how it works, or how you do a project, or product reviews, and so on.

It is the potential to grow a channel on Youtube, Instagram, or Tik Tok.

If your videos become viral and gain attraction, it can be a good income flow.

You can get money from advertising or affiliate marketing, which is how most influencers earn nowadays.

6 – Becoming a consultant

As a consultant, you are an expert who can assist others in learning the trade.

You will help people on how to use their devices and consult with them on the services they provide, recommending the best items and informing clients about new or enhanced machinery that may be advantageous to them.

You might also be a resource for them when it comes to troubleshooting.

Depending on the demands of the client, consultants can bill by the hour or by the month.

Which Things To Make?

Besides the printing services, we mentioned above, selling your products is still the best and easiest way to make money with a cheap 3D printer.

Here we suggest some things that you can start your business:

1 – Flip flops

It is very to sell flip flops because they are both practical and comfortable to wear.

Everyone needs a flip flop! However, you should be picky when choosing the materials to make.

Cheap ones, on the other hand, tend to come apart quickly. However, if you use hard materials, it will improve the product’s toughness.

This has a big impact on the shoes’ comfort level.

3D printed flip flops, which are made of more durable plastics and are ideally fitted to the owner’s foot, are now on the market.

You can produce in popular sizes or ask customers to pay more for their own customized pair of shoes.

You can now open an entire business around personalized footwear and sell them for $10 to $60 while the material cost is about $3 with just a little investment.

That is a great set of margins!

You can use TPU or PLA filaments.

They are cheap but very durable, so much suitable for daily footwear.

Source: Gadget Flow

2 – Movie and book props

A lot of fans are usually on the finding for the props related to their favorite movies or books.

They want these goods so they can have the experience of being in the film.

Some people are even willing to pay thousands of dollars for a fake item or even a superhero outfit.

This will take a lot of time, effort, and money.

But if your end result is good, you can be sure it will make a big money.

Moreover, following the process of making them, printing more copies is quicker and cheaper.

This allows you to maximize profits on repeat orders.

On the other hand, you will need to be careful about any copyright issues, so do some checks first.

Read the laws and rules about the sale of these items on the internet before doing.

Star Wars prop (Source: Sculpteo)

3 – Home products

A variety of in-home products are ideal for you to make money with a cheap 3D printer.

Clocks, decor things, toothbrush holders, containers, lights, organizers, and vases are just a few examples.

When using a 3D printer, you can control a balance between the item’s utility and its beauty.

The main selling point will always be a high-end product and has luxurious looking.

Moreover, you can make it the way you like.

You must think beyond the box and release all of your creative juices if you want to be successful.

Make sure your designs stand out amid the rest of the in-home goods. If you gradually add more product lines, it will also bring in waves of money.

Source: Apartment Therapy

4 – Jewelry and accessories

To make money with a cheap 3D printer, you can also create jewelry and accessories.

But you may need UV light curing and do some post-process to make them shiny and last longer.

Use wax to make the mold, which will burn away when filled with molten metal.

However, before you begin this project, be sure that you will learn the art of jewelry making.

This is a craft that takes certain skills.

Source: Fabbaloo

Finding the ideal target niche is crucial in this type of business.

Once you have identified the category that best suits your skill, taste, and imagination, focus on it and get the greatest supplies you can.

Influencer marketing is a great approach to spend marketing budget in this industry.

Your target audience will be tempted to buy one of your lines if they perceive that you have well-known backers.

This guy used a cheap printer to make resin wax jewelry. Check it out! (99) How To Make Jewelry Wax With A $200 Resin 3D Printer (Mars Elegoo)

5 – Customized earbuds

The size of one’s ears varies from person to person. If you use the common earbuds found in shopping malls, there is a good chance they will not be comfy.

It is possible that the sound is not as effectively insulated. This is a concern that businesses should address.

In actuality, only a few people are concerned about this issue. So, how can a 3D printer be utilized to make earbuds that are uniquely yours?

The first prerequisite is that you have a 3D scanning program installed on your phones, such as Scandypro App or Qlone.

These people will have to scan their ear canal and have a 3D file made.

The file can then be used to produce a renderer and design that is completely compatible.

Your printer will create a finished product that fits the individual’s ear comfortably.

Using existing earbuds and only changing the plastic bud bits that fit in the ear is a quick way to make them.

This way, the product’s sound is preserved while the comfort and fit are improved.

Source: Additive Manufacturing Media

How To Make Money With A Cheap 3D Printer: How Much Money Can You Earn?

Everyone knows this is a potential business to start nowadays.

Your knowledge and services will become even more valuable as it becomes to grow in popularity. T

he amount of money you can earn is one of the best sides of beginning a 3D printing business or side job.

There is no limit to how much money you can have in this industry, as there is in many others.

You can make money as long as you are capable of generating things or making money with a 3D printer.

Depending on how you choose to monetize your printer or expertise, most 3D printing side hustles can generate anywhere from 5 to $6,000.

You might easily increase your income to $50,000 or more per year by selling things online and cutting your production costs.

If you know which steps to take, you could be able to make money may be faster than people who are just starting out.

Your skills can help you in becoming more productive and less wasteful with your time.

Beginners can expect to make extra money with the 3D printer in 6 to 9 months, depending on their abilities.

To learn how to design and build goods, you may need to spend some longer time.

For more experienced people, depending on how you choose to sell products or offer services, you may be able to make money within a few months.

Your business can turn into a huge cash stream that needs little continuing effort to maintain.

Becoming A Better Printer

For those fresh to this site, it is very important to know that you can not expect perfection straight away.

It will take a lot of time, knowledge, and also a lot of practice to become a successful expert.

1 – Always try new things:

To improve, you must step outside of your comfort zone and try many sorts of things.

If making many kinds of cups is your forte, try expanding your skill to other items such as plates or bowls.

This will assist you in becoming a better owner in general.

2 – Be patient and giving yourself time:

As we said above, years of experience are required to be excellent in this industry.

If you do not succeed the first time, try again, and again, and again.

This knowledge will assist you in becoming a top specialist.

3 – Keep learning:

Since its inception, the technology has progressed continually.

Those who have mastered the talent are always learning new things and keeping up with the latest trends.

You should strive to learn as much as possible and to expand your knowledge in order to improve.

4 – Try different materials or printers:

Some machines are simply of higher quality than others.

Or else, some materials are better suited to the creating of specific parts.

The quality of your work will improve if you know when upgrading your equipment or change materials.

Can you 3d print money?

In theory, yes. In practice, the US Federal Reserve is doing their best to make sure you can’t.

Last August a Reddit user claiming to have worked for a consumer-printer manufacturer posted about the possibility of producing money with his company’s printer.

He said he could increase the resolution on certain printers up to 1675 DPI which would be high enough to produce bills that were “perfectly counterfeitable” by government standards (Fed paper currency is currently printed at 1500 DPI).

At this point it wasn’t clear if anyone had actually tried printing cash, but in November another user reported that someone had done just that with an Ultimaker printer and successfully passed off $80 worth of counterfeit bills.

The Secret Service, who are in charge of the protection of currency, is on high alert for counterfeiters.

The JAKDIGITA team decided to investigate the feasibility of printing money by 3d scanning US Federal Reserve notes and creating a digital model with which they could create an STL file with enough detail to be printed. Our results were featured on Hack-a-day, Gizmodo, Slashdot, Cheezburger and Laughing Squid. Via Chris Beaumont: “This was done as part of research into the flow of information surrounding bills being produced by our commercial partners.”

How To Make Money With A Cheap 3D Printer: Frequently Asked Questions

1 – It Is Legal To 3D Print And Sells?

Generally, selling what you 3D print is legal and safe, both in stores or on the internet.

However, you have to consider many laws before making things look like weapons or on restricted lists.

2 – What Are The Common Prices Of 3D Printing Service?

Businesses that provide this kind of service charge a fee per hour that the machine is in use.

Each company or owner has its own hourly rate.

If a company spent $2,000 for a machine with a life expectancy of 2,000 print hours, they might charge $1 per hour.

Furthermore, they can charge per product, depending on how big or how complex it is.

3 – Is 3D Printing More Expensive Than Molding?

If you need more than 100 parts, using molding is less expensive than 3D printing.

While the cost per unit of 3D printing remains relatively unchanged, the cost of using molding decreases significantly as the number of pieces produced using your mold increases.

4 – How Can I Calculate The Cost Of Materials For My Business?

Print cost is calculated by multiplying the cost of a 1KG spool of the filament by the weight of the print in gram, then dividing by 1000.

Calculate how much your prints will cost or how much material you may save by recycling with this tool.

Cost per print is measured by a few slicing software programs.

5 – How Long Does 3D Printing Take?

This can take anywhere from 30 minutes to many days.

If the part is larger or more complicated to print, it will take longer.

A simpler and smaller item, on the other hand, maybe printed much more quickly.

Conclusion

You may monetize your printer in a lot of ways, some of which are more direct than others. We hope our article really helps you in finding out what to do now, whether you are making things to sell online, renting out your printer, launching a service, or even teaching others how to print. Best of all, anyone can make money with a cheap 3D printer.

You may need to invest some time learning how to operate, design, and manufacture items. But once you do, your skills can help you earn a lot of money!

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