3D printing business is a whole sector in industry, which already is very profitable and generates huge money, even thou it’s still young and new on the market. How much lucrative can 3D printing business be, depends mostly on your creativity and decision which niche of 3D printing you choose. In many niches of 3D printing there is already significant competition, but if you will choose the right one and carefully analyse the market, you will certainly find a lot of space and opportunities for you.

Because market trends for 3D printing are very positive, 3D business has high probability of bringing you wealth and a lot of income. There is a whole variety of valuable 3D printing services and products that customers want to pay for. 

WHAT IS THE FUTURE OF 3D PRINTING?

We frankly believe, that future of 3D Business will be brilliant. But this is just our belief, so better look at some data. First of all 3D printing is considererd one of the fastest growing manufacturing technology. During last 5 years value of 3D printing market was increasing every year in average nearly 25% yearly. According to many forecasts, 3D printing will develop even faster in the following years. In 2018, several well-known large brands have dropped products made partly using 3D printers. Best example were 3D printed parts for BMW wehicles, Adidad shoes made of 3D printed insole, or Gilette pilot razors with customizable 3D printed handles. These are just some examples of 3D printing becoming increasingly popular and entering new realms of life and economy. But the increase in the popularity of 3D printing can also be seen in many other places.

Source: Wohlers report

One of the best indicators of how 3D printing is developing is how quickly and dynamically its value on the market increases. According to 3D Hubs 3D printing market is going to be worth about 25,0 billions USD in 2023. This means an incredibly intensive increase in the value of this market. As you can see on the chart above, Wohlers forecast was even more optimistic.
There are opinions that 3D printing will become 100% of the manufacturing market. However, this will not happen right away, if only because the market is saturated with traditional production methods such as subtractive manufacturing and 3D printers are not yet able to compete with all that methods (like forging).
Generally, all indicators and forecasts, as well as current trends, indicate that we should expect further intensive growth in 3D printing popularity. This will directly result in a significant increase in public demand for 3D printing services and products.

EXAMPLES OF PROFITABLE NICHES OF 3D PRINTING BUSINESS

#1
3D printing of prototypes and models 

This is a niche where 3D printing and made by it 3D models are absolutely necessary. Industries like architecture or engineering as well as science often need to print models of buildings, devices or chemical compounds. 3D printing is also necessary for design analysis. Starting such a printing lab close to university can for sure very profitable, because students and technical universities provide constant demand for 3D models. So if you can start 3D printing near the technical university it will be nearly sure that your business will succeed and will develop quickly, because you will have many clients everyday.
It’s worth noticing that 65% of demand for 3D printing is currenctly coming from engineers workin in development of industrial, electrical or consumer goods (source).

#2
Industrial 3D printing

This one is the most risky and at the same time the most profitable 3D printing business idea.
You will need to spend at least $20,000 up to 100,000 to buy industrial 3D printing machine.  But the possibilities of such printer are amazing and really powerful.
If there is demand for something made of plastic, which is unavailable in your market, and demand for that is huge – than industrial 3D printer is great idea. It can create furniture, car parts, bikes, parts of houses, ships, parts of planes and many more.
In order for this type of business to be effective and earn well, you must be able to acquire large companies and wealthy customers who will be willing to place large orders with you. Such a large investment can be risky, because you usually need some time to find customers and advertise your business.

#3
3D Printing point (printing on demand, with service and help)

Already there is a significant number of people who sometimes need to print something in 3D. Because high quality 3D printers are too expensive, people often prefer to pay for service of 3D printing company to create something they need. This type of business will need:

•  Good localization. 3D printing is definitely something that will work mostly in big cities especially in city centers
• Marketing and advertising your 3D services are highly recommanded, especially at the beginning. Let world hear about your business. There are already a few 3D printing businesses like that, but few people know about them.
• Customer-friendly service
• Accepting online orders for picking up later or for shipment will be an attractive advantage

#4
3D Scanning and 3D Printing

This niche of 3D business is an absolute diamond in the rough. It’s only a matter of time until a 3D scanning workshop works in every city center. People need replicas of many things that are necessary for us every day. Favorite toy of your child who broke down, bumper for a historic car, accessories for the garden, skateboard,

#5 Local 3D printing manufacture

One of the most profitable ideas for 3D printing business is producing things and selling them. Things that can be produced with 3D printers are so much diversified and there are millions of them that you can create. Sky is the limit here, so incomes will depend on your creativity and quality of produced products.
Cases for smarfones, toys for kids, home accessories are just few examples of things you can produce with 3D printer. The most important factors that determine if your business will pay off is to listen to the needs of market. It is best to print things for which there is demand. A great idea to produce things from a 3D printer is to create popular and iconic items that were hard to get today. They can be, for example, 1: 1 replicas of motorcycles, shotguns, cannons, crowns. Good business can also be the production of realistic food replicas. They are needed in many restaurants, shops and bars, so that artificial food that looks realistic can be seen at exhibitions at the windows of shops.

#6
Creating and selling 3d printers made by you

The market of 3D printers is still young, but competition is already high. Below in this article you can find links to tutorials teaching how to create your own 3D printer, which is pretty easy to do. Creating your own 3D printing product should be very profitable, but it needs time, and bigger investment (for things like marketing etc.).

#7
Creating prototypes of 3D printers 

This one can be very lucrative, because big companies are eager to pay for prototypes of good quality 3D printers. However, it requires serious engineering skills and knowledge. If you have them and you have idea how to build innovative 3D printer, than it’s nearly sure that one big company will buy it from you.

#8
3D printed toys for children

It is easy to create anything wiht 3D printers including toys. You can create amazing-looking toys,  some of them based on popular characters from books, movies or games. Niche of Toys-shops with 3D printed toys seems to be not yet even started. It would be amazing if kids can come to that shop, choose which one toy they want, and then have it manufactured at the same time in 3D printer.

Read also: 75 Unique Ideas for the Most Profitable Business in Texas

IS STARTING 3D PRINTING BUSINESS EXPENSIVE?

To start 3D printing business, firstly you need to have 3D printer. Their costs varies from $200 up to several thousands $ or even hundreds of thousands if it comes to industrial 3D printers, or newest types of them. If you want your business to be serious, you will probably need to spend about $3,500 up to $6000 to buy professional 3D printer, which offers high quality printing. 

Depending on your businessplan, if you do not need very accurate 3D printer you can buy good enough quality one for about 700$. 

However, if you are good in engineery and creating machines, you can build your own 3D printer.
YES. YOU CAN DO IT IN ONE DAY.

Actually it is not that much difficult. Everyone can create 3D printer following tutorials on Youube. For example you can create printer following this 3 videos by Thomas Workshop (Part 1 , Part 2 , Part 3), or you can follow instructions in another 3 videos by RZtronics (Part 1 , Part 2  , Part 3)
However, 3D printers created by yourself usually will not be as accurate as those produced by larger brands.

Below you can find examples of some good quality, well-reviewed 3D printers from Amazon.

This printer is one of the best and most popular models of 3D printers in 2023. To start 3D printing right away t’s important to have also a good quality filament (plastic). To see more turn off adblock.

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