Opening a 3D Printing Facility

Hi Reprap Community,

I am tring to open a 3D printing lab/training facility in my neighborhood. In order for me to get proper funding I need a decent business plan with reasonable sales projection. Do you have any tip or leads for evaluating the 3D printing market. Help me spread 3D printing.

Thanks for you help,
Yitz

Did some after school programs and community center classes in Atlanta and working on doing the same here in Denver. There is a good market but need to be real with prices, I did 150 a school year per kid and classes had between 8 and 15 kids, one class per week per school (middle and high schools) same price at the community centers but doing 3 levels (beginners, advanced and professional).

My advice is to start this way and once making 2 to 3 thousand a month then open your own place, this way you can cover all the expenses related with a location.

Good luck and be ready to have serious fun.

Hi ggherbaz,

Thanks a lot for your advice, you've been a great help. Do you mean you changed $150 for each kid for the full year? Do you use your own printers? Do you transport them to different locations for each class? Do you have a website I can check out?

Good luck with your classes in Denver,
Yitz

Yes 150 per kid, yes used my own printers, just one time transportation since both locations have secured storage.

Forget to mention, you will be ask for a liability insurance, in my case I was asked for $ 1,000,000 liability.

You can charge higher on private and charter schools (double) if the school have already a printer, you can offer a maintenance program or teachers training.

You can charge up to 400 per kid per year, you can and most set payment plans for that, I went cheap because I wanted to secure as many schools as possible and because as a parent myself I would rather put my kids in a cheaper class...

Take your time creating the program and have all explained in detail, the better prepared you are at the time of the meeting with the school person the better the chances to get it.

Thanks again, great advice. Do you use one printer for each kid? How much printing do you do? Do you supply the computers for the kids?

3 printers per class, one or two small printings per printer per class, at schools I used the science classroom and they have the computers, at community centers I usually bring 3 computers (one per printer) but recommend each adult to bring their own ones.

Thanks a lot. I will try this out of the next school year and I may even make a summer program. I hope that our conversation helps everyone in the Reprap community interested in teaching 3D printing. If you have any questions or comments please join the conversation. Thanks.

Hi ggherbaz, when you say 150 for the year, does that mean a student pays 150 and you teach them for the entire academic year ? sorry if I've missed something. Presumably they didn't get to keep the printers at the end ?

Yes, 150 per kid per school year one class a week.

The first 6 to 8 weeks is fundamentals (type of printers, materials, software) then it goes to building the printer, calibrating and operating, then designs and finally slicing and printing.

Minimum class size requirements was 8 students but it usually goes between 15 and 20.

Forget to mention, No they didn't keep the printers. At the community centers I offered a package that will include the printer, but to be honest most people didn't went for it.

ah that's great ggherbaz, I'm about to start something very similar here in England your input is greatly appreciated

Glad to hear about it,

I just have to say that it is both fun and challenging, keeping the kids focused on the theoretical part of the class isn't simple, but seeing their faces when the print is done it's rewarding.

If you have any other questions please let me know and I'll be glad to help you.