Is 3d printing worth it?

[wolfkinara]

Hi All,I am considering getting my first 3d printer and I am wondering if it is really worth it? Like is a roll of filament really gonna cost less than getting a new "thing"? I understand that it allows you to make custom objects but for general use (such as replacement parts and enclosures) is it worth the money?Also how much does it cost in the long run and how much is 1KG filament enough for?10.0.0.0.1 192.168.1.254 hotmail.com Many Thanks,A newcomer

[Roberts_Clif]

Hi All,

I am considering getting my first 3d printer and I am wondering if it is really worth it?

Yes

Hi All,

Also how much does it cost in the long run and how much is 1KG filament enough for?

Filament can cost from $10 a roll up to $335 a roll for Carbon fiber. You may never need this roll of carbon Fiber filament.

[airscapes]

All depends if you use it and get enjoyment from it. A set of Golf clubs would not be worth a $1 to me.. all depends on what you want to do and how much you will be doing.
I have learned 3d cad after buying my printer and use it on a regular basis to make things to support my other hobbies, even sell some of the adapters and custom accessories I have have designed and fabricate. Buying it to print dodads off the internet only.. probably not worth it..

[Gambo]

It all depends, as someone above has said by why you want to be involved in 3d printing? If it's for a hobby if you get pleasurer out of it it's worth whay your prepared to spend on it! If your interest is commercial that brings a different perspective. For example my interest was purely commercial. I am a director of a science and design consultancy and my interest all started when I took the drawings for a small part I needed to the machine shop we use and was told that the part we wanted machined out of Delrin was un economic to make because of the number of setups required. In desperation we got the part made by SLS at a print bureau. That event changed the way we designed many parts for our projects and we used that bureau almost weekly for the next 2 years. With the treat of lock down we bought the simplest cheapest 3d printer so that we could print our own. I wish we had got into 3d print earlier so the answer is YES

[Gambo]

PS by doing our own 3d printing we reduced prototyping delays hugely and saves the bureau cost which was running at £60 to£100 a week.