Where to from here...

Recent changes in my work front have suddenly given me pause for thought. This technology has me hooked (I quess I've always been interested in control tech, I've been working in an associated field most of my life) & now I find myself at a crossroads of continuing with what I've been doing or branching out into something I feel passionate about & that's the world of 3D printing & developing similar robotic creativity tools. But where do you start if you want to create a business? Can it be self sustaining? What help is out there to guide & inspire success?

I'm sure I'm not alone in this. New Zealand is a relatively small place with big ideas & that all makes us very competitive in the same space but there must be room for co-operative ventures which can ride this technology wave.... I would love to hear your thoughts.

I'm hooked too and likewise am looking at ways I could turn this interest into a profitable business!
IMHO 3D printing is still in its infancy and I suspect there are serious limitations on it becoming mainstream in the near future. Eg users have to learn CAD. I guess it could become common with services like Thingiverse for downloading files or being able to scan and print but it is still early days...

Doing business is a HUGE topic of which this is not the right forum except for collecting ideas on using 3D printers to earn a crust. In the simplist terms what do you have to sell - a product and/or service - that you can make a reasonable profit on and there is a regular market for? With all the media attention 3D printing is getting I am convinced there is big opportunity here - we just have have to discover what it is. How can one capitalise on this opportunity? What products or services can a 3Der offer? A job shop may be? Many companies that need prototypes already have their own 3D printers so would need to find other potential customers. There are a couple of attempts at retailing / consumerising 3D printers. One example is in Parnell based on a "club membership" arrangement. I have been fortunate to get a few paid jobs but nothing regular and profitable enough to establish a business. Perhaps the "holy grail" is not in the printing objects but in coming up with a new product. I.e. print the prototype for prove of concept then get commerical funding to produce in bulk...

Robot creativity could be your point of difference. Do you have some product ideas? Thought stream complete. REBOOT

I'm in full agreement & find myself asking the same questions...

Reprap gives the tools & the evolutionary improvements that keep it economical & within our grasp. I know that the same passion that drives it will also be looking at the issues of promoting the movement beyond the printers themselves. As you say, this diverges away from the forum fundamentals & perhaps there's a better place in which to project this kind of thinking. I'm open to suggestions.


As for products, I have ideas but they are all over the place... I guess I'm hoping something will gel. I started with the usual thingiverse downloads but now I'm trying to develop skills with 3D modelling, which so far keep to the open source world of openscad & blender. The whole concept of taking something through from creative thought to printed object is mind-blowing! Perhaps this is where I should focus first. So far I've only put some effort into making soap moulds & stamps for my wife with inverted text & logos. I've been playing around with scanning using an Xbox kinect attached to my PC & understand the current limitations. I'm building a scaled up version of my kossel mini incorporating an Azteeg X5 though this has taken a step backwards recently with "life" getting in the way. Down the track, I'd like to build something that could print with quick set cement or ceramic material. I'm also interested in getting a CNC router to build intricate wooden box assembles but that's another story.

By chance I had the opportunity to discuss this exact topic with a guy that commercialises ideas for a living. I learnt a few things however the main gem was to build a prototype and get an angel investor. They have the funding to take it to market for which the cost is huge! He advised you should expect 3-5% of the factory sale price for each item sold and up to 10% for medical items. 3% of a million items is signifcantly more than 100% of 100 items. If you get to that stage PM me and I'll forward him your details.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/08/2014 05:32PM by AgentX.