I’m totally new to the 3D printers world and I am actually running a phone cases business. Until now, we were buying our cases from China but we were wondering if we could 3D print our own phone cases to sell them after. So my questions are the following :
- Is it possible to build blank phone cases with a 3D printer for any phone brands ?
- What would approximately be the cost for one phone case ?
- Will the cases perfectly fit the phones they will be created for ?
- What would be the cost for a “good” 3D printer for this purpose ?
I myself am a beginner since I’ve owned my Qidi (e Replicator clone) for a few months so my answer may only show my inexperience.
First you would have to find the right kind of plastic with appropriate flexibility to deform the case while putting phone in and yet have a good fit and secondly I have not been able to make parts with the smoothness and finish a commercial product would require.
A 3D printer would be could to prototype such cases and have them then made elsewhere, but not for the final product.
I wouldn’t recommend printing and selling phone cases that have come straight out of a printer as there can be lumps and strings of plastic. However if your willing to correctly finish the phone case then it may work, but would be very time consuming. Despite this I’ve seen some very successful prints of phone cases.
If all of your cases are intended to be identical then I’d advise printing a few cases out of ABS or PLA until you get the right shape and fit. The reason for this is these materials can be easily sourced and are rigid.
Once you get the correct fit, sand and finish your model so that it’s smooth and make a mould. These can be cheap to make as an alternative to manufactured parts. It may take a little to get used to but at least you can produce for the demand.
Hope this helps. If you have any questions I’d be delighted to help you out.
