3D Printing has had lots of coverage in the news of late, but do we really still understand the concept of 3D printers and what they do? I think the one thing that is certain is that 3D printing will reach a far wider usage than we understand at the moment and the concept of them and their usage has a bit of a way to go. 3D Printers at the moment are very much on the market and anyone can buy them. They are being used from home as a working from home business for supplying an array of products such as models, drone parts, Star Wars figures, camera parts and that’s just to name a few. There are quite a few websites that will provide the plan of the model or part that you are printing, the files for the object you want to print get uploaded onto your computer, this communicates with the printer and away you go.
The additional equipment you will need as well as the 3D printer is a PC and the ABS plastic, this can purchased easily in reels again from a reputable supplier on the internet, many people are doing this as both a hobby and a small business from home. They are doing incredibly well because suppliers of 3D parts are particularly limited so the market is a good one to get into. Many of the parts can be sold online at sites such as eBay and they are proving incredibly popular.
3D printers are not cheap, but after the initial outlay, the profit margin is quite high so it’s very easy to make back the additional cost allowing you to price your parts competitively. The cost of a good 3D printer that will produce good quality parts is around £1000, if you shop around you may get the price a little lower, but always opt for a good quality one and do our research, look at some reviews and choose wisely because once you have brought your 3D printer, you want it to last the test of time.
The future of 3D Printers is massive, at the moment most of us have heard of 3D printing, but don’t understand their capabilities or what they will actually be able to do. There are 3D printers out there already that can print food, ceramics, clothes and even shoes, although these are not something we have in our own household, in the future it is predicted that we will all have a 3D printer that will print most house hold products. This will mean we will all be able to personalize objects ourselves, if we need to print a replacement soap dish or chicken feeder, cutlery or even a bottle, you will be able do so, although the concept of 3D printers in the home is a long way from actually been useful enough for everyone to have one, it is predicted they certainly will be in the future, the one great concept that derives from 3D printers is how they will allow us to be creative and personalize our own objects, we won’t go and pay someone to do this for us, but will simply get creating and designing.