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Nov 2016
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cobnut
Nov '16

I’ve only been a Hub since May but am interested in expanding. The trends data provided by 3DHubs is great, but for me what would be really useful would be data on actual orders so I can plan my expansion. For example, what % of orders am I losing by not having a big enough build area? What % of orders are for different materials I don’t currently print? Should I consider SLA (I’m current FDM only)? Does having a physical premises, even perhaps a shop-front, help and does it pay for itself?

What I’m looking for is a guide that’ll help me make good business decisions in terms of purchasing new equipment and other investments.

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    Nov '16

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    Nov '16
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3DFlying
Nov '16

I don’t have a ton of orders but at least half of mine were for large scale (bigger than 20x20x20cm) prints, so I would say if you are only printing with a standard-sized printer you are surely missing out on potential orders.

cobnut
Nov '16

Thanks @3DFlying, yep, I’m pretty sure build area is one aspect that is important, and mine will improve with the arrival (eventually!) of my Prusa i3 (to 250mm x 205mm or so).

Odense3DPrint
Nov '16

Same thing here, thou i have also got one order for some clips that where so small i could barely print them. SLA might have helped on that

Just got one big order for a decorative gear thing with about 10 plates for a 200*200 bed. A bigger bed would just have made that more easy as i could print more in one go. Time wise it would have been the same. So far i have yet to reject an order based on the size of the print

physical premises or a shop-front. Dont think that matter much. I do it from home, and i just keep the rooms from the front door to the room where i print clean and tidy. Or at least i would put it in this way that if it was me i would continue in this way until i get enough orders that i can see that i could afford a small office. ie it should at least pay the same as daytime job + the office + some overhead. if the orders never come i dont have a big loss. Maybe i would end up with a expensive 3d printer… and then again i’m a sucker for things i have build myself so i might just build a X2 of the mendel90 i allready have.

3drapidprints
Nov '16

3D Hubs will hide you hub if the parts are to big for your printer, so you will never have to decline beacuse of size.

keebie81
Nov '16

Thats not correct. Ive got orders a few times too big. People could also select my small printer with an order too big for it.

cobnut
Nov '16

Hi @Boelle 3DHubs filters orders that won’t fit on your machine, so you never get to see the “lost” orders because of bed size (or material, etc.), that’s what interests me the most, how many orders could I get if I had a different printer or offered different materials?

The shop thing for me is a combination of factors, but it’s mostly one of physical space. I’m printing from home right now and have room for only two printers in my office, add in the filament storage and it’s pretty cramped. I’m also concerned about the odours and fumes, etc. For example, I doubt it would be practical for me to have an SLA printer because of the requirement for cleaning the print, I really can’t do that in the kitchen sink :slight_smile: The other aspect of being able to meet customers in a workplace is of benefit perhaps from a post order point of view, but I wonder if there’s also an opportunity for “walk ins” if people can actually see a printer working in a window somewhere.

I’ve been wondering whether it’s worth looking for like-minded others in my area who might consider getting together to operate a “mini hub” where 4 or 5 of us would have space to work and present a professional front.

3drapidprints
Nov '16

I can assure you they do. I don’t believe there is any margin, however. Try to upload a huge part and you will see that the nearest hub is 100+ mi away.

Odense3DPrint
Nov '16

My mendel90… looking at it now… dont see build volume anywhere… nor for my offline K8200

so i just go hmmm

cobnut
Nov '16

@Boelle build volumes for printers are not secret, they’re public knowledge, no need for them to be set anywhere on the site to be edited, they can be part of the internal printer profile. I’d imagine that’s one reason why printers are chosen from a drop-down list when you set them up.

I’m sure @Asad3D can tell us whether print volume (and any other settings) are taken into account when filtering orders…

wirlybird
Nov '16

This is definitely a known quantity. When I wanted to add a new printer they didn’t list they asked for help in getting the specs for it which included build column. It make sense that there are printer parameters which we can’t alter on here.

DaveOB
Nov '16

My modified i3 has a build height of 650mm and I could not get a 3D Hubs quote from my own hub as the standard i3 ( that I started using ) was too small for the part I wanted to print. I had to ask 3D Hubs to add the custom printer to the list of printers ( which they kindly did after I verified the specs ).

Asad3D
Nov '16

Hey @cobnut, print volume is indeed taken into account when filtering orders/hubs. Hubs with printers that cannot accommodate the print volume of the part will be filtered out, although there is a margin for a few percent here and there. Hubs with multiple printers - say, one printer that can accommodate the print volume and one that can’t - will have the latter printer filtered out but will certainly show up in results. I hope that info helps!

cobnut
Nov '16

Hi @Asad3D thanks for the confirmation, it did seem to be a logical thing for 3DHubs to do…

However, does this mean I must copy all my materials to my new printer that has a larger build area? My current printer uses the same size filament and can print all the new one can in terms of materials, the only difference is build area and minimum layer height. I did think I’d be able to get away with just adding one new layer height (in each material) for the new printer but I’m thinking now this will exclude me from the larger build area orders who want larger layer heights, so I’ll have to replicate all my materials, at all layer heights for the new printer?

Joerg_4
Nov '16

well, I had the same thoughts and therefore bought an Rostock Max V2, approx. 11 months ago.

Since the printer is online I didn’t receive a single order order that was just close to fill the build volume - so for me the investment was not productive.

cobnut
Nov '16

Interesting @Joerg_4, thanks (although I’m sorry to hear that!). I wonder is that’s because of the limited square build volume? Even in the limited orders I’ve had, I’ve had a couple that may not have fitted the round bed of the Rostock. The largest I’ve had was 220mm x 140mm which (unless I’m mistaken) would be quite a bit outside of the Rostock’s capabilities. The 280mm diameter sounds huge, but the 197mm square limit could be an issue…

No proof, just wondering!

Joerg_4
Nov '16

@cobnut

sounds correct, may be this is the reason.

We’ll find out soon, as I am also about ordering a Prusa i3 Mk2 :wink:

cobnut
Nov '16

Excellent @Joerg_4, it seems like a decent part of the Prusa backlog is just people on here :slight_smile:

krosnyak
Nov '16

Well, you just realized pretty quickly how primitive your “virtual” hub is…

there is very limited things you can do with your hub and there is zero feedback from 3D hubs.

my advice is to get the biggest build volume you can and list all the filament that you have in stock and that you feel you can print reliably.

3drapidprints
Nov '16

3D Hubs is one of the most flexible platforms I know. They are constantly adding new features and their support is incredible. Please do contact support if you have any questions, I am sure they would love to help you out.

Also you can use the link below to request new features.

http://3dhubs.uservoice.com/ 1