One expensive 3D printer VS many low budget?

[DorianAlex]

Hey ! My name is Dorian, and i entered this forum because i have some problem starting this activity.I am looking to start a business, a 3d printing center, so my prints will be in all kinds of shapes, using all kinds of materials and hopefully in a very big volume.My budget will be around 10 000 US$, and i was thinking to buy:Formlabs 2 ( https://formlabs.com/3d-printers/form-2/ ) and Ultimaker 3 ( https://ultimaker.com/en/products/ultimaker-3 )The problem now is that those 2 can't print as fast as i needed at full quality!For me, to have a profit, i will need to sell around 20 000grams of material/month, and for example a case for Samsung Galaxy S6 is 27 grams, so i will have to sell 741 pieces of it ...but with ultimaker at full quality it takes 12 hours for only one so in one month i can make only 60 in one month Now my question for you quys is: What should i buy in 10 000 US$ to have variety, to print a big volume of works and to not lose to much quality? To go for an expensive model? To buy many low budget printers?PS: I am insisting with the quality because in my city the 3D printing is more of a fairytale story, so i have to educate my clients ... i can't let them believe that 3D printed products are inferior.PS again: Sorry if i make mistakes of speaking, English is not my first language

[fred_dot_u]

If you consider that Joe Prusa, the founder of the Prusa line of 3D printers is using an entire farm of Prusa printers to create his products, you can understand that a not-too-expensive printer can generate good quality prints at a reasonable speed.

I suggest that you view Angus' video on resin printers before you spend money on such a device. The resin printer is very slow to print small models, although the quality is very high. It also requires much time after the print to wash and clear supports and UV harden the item. Very time consuming.

Our local library makerspace has a GENUINE Prusa i3 mk2.5 (not a clone!) and the quality has been consistently great. One of the makerspace members recently purchased the Prusa i3 mk3 and is equally happy with the quality.

Good luck!

[airscapes]

This is why I want to make Enable hands for kids and adults rather than try and make money..

[StefanM]

The question is, what type of 3d printing service you want to offer.FDM is cheap and fast to produce, but a lot of companies or also home users are able to print such parts.Sintratec is offering SLS technology to a low budget. SLS has not that high print quality like SLA, but much higher than FDM. Also the prints are very durable and temperature resistant etc. Have a look on TPU and PA12 materials what they can make. Also with such a machine, mass production is not an option, but you can create movable parts in one print which can used as customized parts for end customers to high prices. Have a look on the Sintratec Kit. You need to assemble it first, but that's the reason for the cheap price for the high quality.

[curious aardvark]

The sintratec s1 currently retails at over ?20,000 in the uk.
Not sure how that is either low cost or within the budget.

The build it yourself kit is 5,000 euros.
That's not a bad price.

Bear in mind with a 'budget' nylon sls printer. There is an awful lot of post processing: powder handling, print finishing and polishing etc
Also you really don't wnat to be breathing in the powder - which is pretty expensive compared to fdm filaments.

All that being said - yes an sls machine is kind of essential for a print bureau these days.

As far as fdm machines go - ultimaker don't give good value for money.
The prusa mk3 is probably one of the best kits around and you almost never hear anyone saying anything negative about them.

The form 2 is a good option.
Yes the resins are expensive - But if you're looking at retail value then custom figurines for gamers and custom parts for cos-players are where the best market is currently.
Also bear in mind that printing at a machine shighest quality settings is never really that practical.
A faster lower quality print and a couple of minutes post processing with some fine grit sanding cloth, is usually a better option.

If you want volume and speed and quality - have a look at the formbot range of printers: http://www.formbot3d.com/formbot-big...ize_p0017.html

The independant dual extruders make printing non-optimised designs much easier.

The biggest problem you face is educating the average-person-in-the-street.
Explaining that 3d printing is NOT injection moulding.
Making money out of it is pretty much dependant on finding a niche that nobody has yet filled and producing unique or custom objects with a high per item value.

Because of the time and cost of mass producing cheap items - you will never be able to compete with existing injection moulded products. So don't try.

So before you buy any printers - you first need to identify your market and product(s) and then look for the best solution to make it/them.

[Davo]

So before you buy any printers - you first need to identify your market and product(s) and then look for the best solution to make it/them.

- or start any business.

[kris_brat]

If you're looking for a niche that's slowly gaining up followers, try printed electronics.