3D printing has grown in leaps and bounds over the past few years. What started out as a novel evolution of the printing process has now become a practical tool. All the way from a children’s toy to space exploration, the technology has a huge variety of applications.
As with any new breakthrough in the production process, some excellent money-making opportunities have opened up. If you are looking to invest in a 3D printer and start a business, now is the time to get started. If you are looking for an idea to incorporate into your 3D printing business, here are five cool 3D printing ideas to make money on the side:
1. Game playing miniatures
There are lots of possibilities to make money from 3D printing ideas in the toy industry. The industry forecast is bright since there has been a surge of interest in tabletop games, specifically roleplaying games like Dungeons and Dragons. Once considered to be nerdy or a niche market, this analogue format of gameplay has made its way into the mainstream and is now more popular than ever before.
These games often require the players to have a small miniature figure. In previous years, it was simply a case of choosing from a selection of pre made, mass produced miniature figures. With 3D printing, you are now able to completely customize your character.
Roleplayers can choose to have any equipment, weapons or anything else they like included in their unique model. What would have required hours of skilled sculpting to create these figures now takes a short amount of time designing on a computer before printing in 3D. There is a huge potential market for this application of 3D printing technology in this growing industry.
2. Props for Movie, TV, and Theatre
Props are one interesting idea of using 3D printing to make money. Realistic reproductions of props for movie and television productions are always in high demand. There might be some legal issues to navigate but you could be able to build a business around providing fans with everything from laser swords and guns to futuristic suits of armour. These could be for either cosplay purposes or for display.
There is a huge potential to grow a business from here. Once the initial upfront design work is done you will essentially be building products that you sell from a templated design. You could also offer some customization too. This would be at a premium but there are a lot of fans out there who would be more than willing to design and build their very own lightsaber that is unique to them.
3. Customized Shoes
Imagine being able to design your own 3D printed shoes from scratch and then have them shipped to you in a matter of days. With 3D printing, this is possible. As millenials all strive to find their own unique brand, being able to craft a shoe that has never been seen before has a certain level of appeal.
Kanye West has recently launched his own 3D printed sneaker that is made from recycled materials. It looks bizarre, but this is an indication of the potential for 3D printing in the footwear market.
Aside from the aesthetic side of things there are some practical applications as well. The 3D printer can be used to design a shoe specifically shaped to accommodate the shape of your foot. This can help with the level of comfort and even posture. This could also massively reduce the cost of orthopedic shoes too. So, if you are looking at 3D printed shoes there is a great deal of opportunity for this.
4. Architecture Modelling
Most property investors or home buyers are not particularly skilled at reading blueprints and then imagining what the building will look like once it is built. This is why architects will build scale models of their proposed building to showcase their vision. Traditionally these would have to be painstakingly built taking many hours to produce. 3D printing allows for the plans to be input into a computer and then a model created printed and assembled in a fraction of the time.
From a business perspective this could easily be a service provided to architects and allow them to save a great deal of their time so that they can focus on their next project or how they intend to pitch the whole process.
5. Earbuds
There has been a dramatic shift in how people are listening to music or taking calls from their cell phones. The 3mm headphone jack has been retired from nearly all new devices and now bluetooth wireless headphones are the new norm. As there are no longer any wires, the fit of an earbud needs to be more secure than ever before.
With 3D printing it can be possible to print an earbud that fits perfectly into a customer’s ear. Not only will these custom earbuds have less of a chance of falling out of their ears, they will be a great deal more comfortable.