Mass Producing in the 3D Printer Community?

Jackson_Black · 2016-09-16T21:04:18.000Z

Hello folks,

I’m working on a project where I’d like small custom statues in my store. This project had led me here and to the 3D Printing Community. I am incredibly impressed and interested with this technology. But I thought I would ask some questions here so I don’t frustrate any printers in the future.

1. How realistic is to ask a printer to make 20-50 small 3x3x3 inch statues for me?

2. What is a realistic time frame for such an order?

3. Would this technology and community be the right place to bring this project? Or should I be looking into CNC services or Chinese stone carving?

4. Would it be realistic to ask printers for discounts on big (20-50 statue) orders?

5. Is there a source of information on 3D Printing I can read so I can better communicate to my printers what I want?

6. What are the biggest mistakes or frustrations customers cause for printers?

Thank you.

MindFuLL · 2016-09-16T23:09:34.000Z

1. Very. Once you get into hundreds it becomes less practical.
2. Depends on size(yours are small enough that they could be printed in batches on most machines), complexity, detail, post processing. Could be days or weeks.
3. Yes.
4. If a hub can handle the volume you require then discount is standard for such volume and could be significant. Again, this would vary depending on variables from question 2 and individual hub.
5. What is 3D printing? How does 3D printing work? | Hubs Most of us are happy to talk about this stuff all day, especially if you are placing an order.
6. The misconception that our machines are the “replicators” from star trek. The machines can do amazing things but the operator is putting in a lot more effort/work for a quality result than what might be obvious to our customers.

You can check out my hub if you want to discuss further. I’m sure many others will chime in as well.
https://www.3dhubs.com/miami/hubs/mindfull

-Jesse

plvcpt · 2016-09-17T00:11:23.000Z

Hi there,

The printing of 50 statues could be printed in about 10 days with my printer.

Discounts are actually common practice for big orders like this. Not the volume discount shown on my Hub but something more substantial that will be offered at the enquiry level.

There are a lot of web pages you can find about 3D printing on the web. Just type “3D printing technologies comparison” in your search engine to find extensive information and try to avoid pages from a specific 3D printer brand since they tend to be bitching about other technologies to make theirs more attractive.

The main thing to remember to avoid any frustrations or issues with printing jobs is to be clear on your requirements and ask for pictures showing the quality of prints already performed by a chosen printer to know what you can expect from it.

Visit my hub and contact me from there for more infos : https://www.3dhubs.com/montreal/hubs/plv-concept

I can ship to EU no problem. Already did a print job sent to Germany.

Regards,

Pierre

GIFT3D · 2016-09-17T15:34:05.000Z

Hey Jackson_Black,

First of all I’m not entirely sure if 3D printing is the best option for you. It is definitely achievable to print 3 inch models, as most printers can achieve that. However printing can take a lot of time and for best results each model should be printed separately unless the hubs printer has a printer capable of doing that. This means you have to wait for the machine to heat up and cool down. This combined with the speed of printing can take a long time.

Then you’ve got the finish. Sometimes prints may have imperfections which can be sanded out, but if you’re doing this to large amounts it can take a lot of time.

CNC could be an option, but my understanding is that it’s quite expensive, where 3D printing isn’t so if your willing to wait and are interested in finishing/ sanding then it could work out cheaper.

Due to the circumstances I’d advise getting one model printed and sand it down and final until you’ve got a perfect model. Then you can create a mould to replicated the design. This is far quicker and may work out cheaper.

Just look online as there are loads of resources, articles and videos showing how to make diy moulds. This also means they are consistent and enables you to make more quickly and efficiently if your in a hurry. Some moulds are made from silica gel, sand or hard plastics.

Mid strongly recommend looking into this.

Hope this helps. If you have any questions don’t hesitate to ask

Jackson_Black · 2016-09-17T15:39:57.000Z

Thank you folks, this community is awesome. =D

Jackson_Black · 2016-09-17T15:41:38.000Z

Is there a service or a business I can find that could do this work for me? What would I search for online to find more info about this?

Perry_1 · 2016-09-17T15:43:44.000Z

1. How realistic is to ask a printer to make 20-50 small 3x3x3 inch statues for me?

Should be no problem with most hubs.

2. What is a realistic time frame for such an order?

Most hubs have a few printers, and they get spoken for throughout the time of a lengthy set of prints. That is, even if you get in the queue with a big printer farm, they can’t necessarily take their printers offline for a straight week to do just one job. So they will likely prefer to stretch the order out a few days to not lose customers in their supply chain. If you need it in just a few days, you can go to more than one hub, but then your models wont match, as each hub prints differently on different printers.

3. Would this technology and community be the right place to bring this project? Or should I be looking into CNC services or Chinese stone carving?

20-50 3x3x3 models should be no problem at all, and this is what 3d printing does best. Short runs of models. When you get to looking at 100s of them, then you should look at injection molding or some other means.

4. Would it be realistic to ask printers for discounts on big (20-50 statue) orders?

Yes. While each print is its own print, so there is little declining rate of costs on volume as there is with injection molding, for example, the hub should discount a large order because sales costs are less on a large order of many prints as opposed to many different orders. However, see #2 above, if your order does not create opportunity losses of other business, then they should offer a discount.

5. Is there a source of information on 3D Printing I can read so I can better communicate to my printers what I want?

Create an enquiry or 2 (contact hubs) and see if they communicate well with you about your needs. They can teach you as you go, make sure they establish credibility with you and you trust them. Most of my job is educating the consumer on how to proceed. The 3d printer is just a robot after that. This is a great link What is 3D printing? How does 3D printing work? | Hubs.

6. What are the biggest mistakes or frustrations customers cause for printers?

Just like any business transaction, communication is the key. Good open communications, teaching and learning about each others needs, and correct and complete expectations will keep frustrations away.

GIFT3D · 2016-09-17T15:55:32.000Z

There should definitely be a business or service to help you out, but I’m not sure how you’d find one. Just search for cast moulder businesses or even do it yourself.

To get the initial model go to the 3D print page which there a red button for at the top. Then use the options and it’ll show local hubs.

Thrn you just need to find a mould which may be the hardest part. I honestly don’t know, so you’d have just as much knowledge as I have in finding them.

plvcpt · 2016-09-17T16:56:56.000Z

Hi again, If you need a fist statue 3D printed to make a silicone or sand mold with it, you will definitely want to get it done with a high definition printing process that will require none or very little sanding… But you should get a formal quote for 3D printing before to have a comparison benchmark because if you have a mould made by a company for just a few parts, it might cost you more than the printed equivalent. Always good to compare…

SOC3D · 2016-09-17T18:12:33.000Z

A lot of hubs offer molding and casting, usually it will be in their specialties or hub description. Also many hubs have several printers and could handle small volumes (under 100) in a few days. We could likely do 50 in less than two days and printing would be faster and more cost effective than casting depending on the model complexity.

Asad3D · 2016-09-20T09:11:03.000Z

Hey @Jackson_Black, we’ve got great resources here on our website when it comes to learning about 3D printing. You can learn more here and also have a look at our annual Buyer’s Guide here. I hope this helps and good luck!

jonnyjain · 2018-09-20T05:34:34.530Z

Hi this can be a nice concept I am also using hp 3d printer it was really amazing device have become viable and affordable products for use by designers, engineers, schools. When printer can use some software Error can come for solution visit them printer is an error state.