Please help me!

[awerby]

Okay I have a business idea, and after a lot of research i am starting to think 3d printing will be a viable production method.

[What makes you think that? What other production methods are you comparing it to?]

The product will weigh about 40 grams.
I will be spending between £1-2,000 on the printer, maybe more or less, too early to know.
With a printer around this budget how long will it take to print a 40 gram product roughly?

[It depends on how thick the layers are that you lay down, the size of the orifice and filament, and the speed the printer operates at.]

how reliable are printers at this budget? (as down time could cause problems)

[They vary a lot, but generally the more expensive ones are more reliable (although there are exceptions).]

Are they easy to repair/get hold of spares?

[It depends on which one you're talking about.]

I've looked at plastics, but is it easy to get hold of different plastics with different properties? (my knowledge on this part is basically nothing)

[Yes, that's easy, if you've got internet, a credit card, and some time to wait for deliveries.]

Roughly how much do they cost to run?

[How much is your time worth?]

If anyones got any other knowledge or ideas that you think will be of use to me, please share, I'll appreciate it a lot!
Thank you for reading,I hope you can help! i really appreciate it!
Luke

Your questions are pretty vague, Luke. I'd suggest using a service bureau to print some copies of your part in various materials, and see how it looks before investing in a printer. If you use a service like 3Dprinthub.com it will put you in touch with people who have various different printers and are trying to scratch out a little money by printing parts for other people. You can get output from all sorts of machines, and quiz the people who printed them about how long it took, and what the problems were. This will get you further along faster than simply spending money on a printer and hoping everything works the way you want.

Andrew Werby
www.computersculpture.com

[Luke.marsh96]

great thank you for your reply! really appreciate it.
Sorry about the vague questions, just in a really early stage and trying to get as much information and knowledge as possible.
Would you be able to give me an idea on how long a simple 40 gram product would take? if i went with a 3d printer that prints fairly quickly? this information is important for me deciding whether i will use it as a manufacturing method.
Thanks

[Luke.marsh96]

Also from 1kg of plastic (ABS) would their be wastage, or does the printer stop that from happening?
Thanks!