9 Ways on How to Make Money with a 3D Printer

Do you want to make a business out of 3D printing? Well, just how proficient are you in 3D printing? Even if you are above average in 3D printing, you can still find ways to make a living from this skill, whether it is a passion or just something you are passively interested in.

So, how can you make money from it? And, if so, what type of products could you even print? Here are nine ways on how to make money with a 3D printer:

1. Sell Products

No one can dispute that 3D printing has opened up a world of possibilities, including making products and then having the ability to sell them on the market (likely in ecommerce). That is certainly one way to profit off of your investment in 3D printing technology, especially since this machine probably set you back quite a lot of money.

2. Offer 3D Printing Courses

Let’s be honest: 3D printing is an attractive prospect and it will likely revolutionize our society in the coming years as the technology advances even more. That said, if you have tremendous expertise in 3D printing, then you should take advantage of it by offering 3D printing courses.

You can either host workshops in your city or you can develop a lesson plan for online consumption. Whatever the case, offering your expertise to the rest of the world is doing humanity a service! Of course, this is also a great way on how to make money with a 3D printer.

3. Print Custom Parts

Does a business need a certain custom printed? What about a community? Is there an entire industry that needs certain parts? Well, this is where you step in as you can make quite a lot of money by specializing in specific custom parts and then sell them to firms that need these components.

4. Build Upon Your Knowledge

Finally, the best way to make money from 3D printing is to build upon your knowledge. Indeed, you already know quite a lot about 3D printing, but the technology is still advancing and evolving, so you never want to stop. From the latest hardware developments to the newest software creations, there is a lot of information out there to unpack. This is still a niche, so why not get in on the ground floor?

5. Sell Customized Shoes

Years ago, before mass production, consumers would purchase shoes that were custom made for their feet. In other words, shoppers would not just buy a pair of Oxfords that were labeled as size 12. The shoemaker would measure your feet, ask for your comfort level, and then manually construct these shoes. Thanks to 3D printing, the age-old idea can be brought into the 21^st century.

6. Sell Movie Props

Do you want to turn your apartment into an episode of Seinfeld? Do you want to fill your home with all the different helmets of The Avengers movies? Or, do you want a film prop to accompany you to a costume party?

Well, with the riding coding, you can 3D print these movie props, which you can then sell to the public.

The problem to be concerned about, however, is copyright. This is something to look into and ensure that you are not violating any corporate laws by 3D printing iconic facets of a movie franchise and then selling these artifacts in the global marketplace.

7. Sell Ear Buds

It seems like ear buds are all a one-size-fits-all. This might explain why they either fall out of your ears all the time or they are too tight.

Well, like the customized shoes recommendation, you can 3D print ear buds that are tailored to the customer’s ears, not the hundreds or thousands of other customers. This is a neat little design because this can ignite a campaign to personalize everything again.

8. Sell Home Accents

Do you want to improve the look of your home? Home accents can do the trick. But are you tired of what these stores are selling? Or, do you want something really unique? There is 3D printing for that.

You might have impressive designs, too, which can help you sell these decorative pieces.

9. Sell Unique Jewelry

Believe it or not, a random person’s jewelry can still sell if is it pretty and original enough. And, yes, a 3D printing can create jewelry or ornaments that are truly unique. This could be expensive and require a lot of time since you need to perfect your craft. But there is the opportunity of hitting a home run and selling this jewelry online, in stores, or during trade exhibits.

You are 3D printing for fun, so why not finally commercialize your hobby? The opportunity is there for the taking. Although this is a niche for now, it really is a gateway to something bigger. It could be one of those machines from Star Trek that produce any item you wish – you just need to program it into the computer and voila. In the end, you can make money from 3D printing, but it is a matter of figuring out what you would like to do.