I’m an entrepreneur and I want to create my next venture in the 3D printing world.
I have a couple of questions for you:
1. What’s your most painful problem related to 3D printing right now?
2. If you had a magic wand, how would you solve it?
Feel free to tell me about everything related to the 3D printing process from the very beginning when you didn’t have any 3D printer to now where everything is installed and running.
Hi @jemo OK, here’s my thoughts, though I’m not sure they’ll help.
My #1 most painful problem right now is order numbers. Nothing to do with the machines I own or are available, it’s simply a matter of getting more customers and more orders.
Following right on behind that, my #2 problem is lack of public awareness of the capability of 3D printing. Yes, this is kind of related to #1 but solving #2 could solve #1 so they are slightly different. When I talk to people I meet, most look at me blankly when I say I 3D print and that’s got to change.
#3 is a measure of value in printers. I find it very difficult to judge, say, a $3000 machine against a $800 machine. I can say for sure that a $3000 machine I own has a lot of production quality and features an $800 machine I own doesn’t, but in terms of print quality and actual value to my business, I find it difficult to quantify the difference. This is not a problem limited to the 3D printing world, of course, the same applies to many other products - is a $50000 car “better” than a $15000 car, for example, but in 3D printing it’s made worse by the rapid progress in technology. This problem is also linked to #1 and #2. If I get more orders, I’ll need more machines. Should I buy 3 or 4 $800 machines or 1 $3000 machine? Should I invest in SLA, which has great quality but is expensive to run, or FDM which has limitations but is cheaper to operate, or go mad and head down the SLS route? Or DJI, or…
I guess you were really looking for technical problems - nozzles, beds, filaments, etc. - but in reality pretty much any problems like that have been solved already, not necessarily all in the same printer, and not necessarily cheaply, but most do have solutions. My real-world problems are much more about the processes and the running of a business than about the tech itself.
Thanks a lot for your reply. I was not talking about technical problems, so your answer is right on spot!
#1 is the most common problem for all companies I think ;-). Growing is hard. SEO can help, Ads, Marketing etc. I’m not an expert in marketing though I have some experience but my main skill is building software tools to solve problems.
#2 is totally understandable too, media coverage isn’t appropriate for this new technology. And people don’t realize yet the full implications of it.
By the way, I’m quite new in this domain and even if I know the big leap forward it provides in term of prototyping and 3D modeling (makes it easier), I’m still asking myself if there is a market for this technology. What’s your thoughts about this? Can you talk to me a little bit more about your current business, how you make money, what parts do you sell the most to consumers etc.?
#3 That’s very interesting! I know there are tons of different kind of 3D printers with different technologies and materials to print from. Keeping up with the change may be difficult indeed. I saw the post The best 3D printer guide recently when I was looking to buy a 3D printer, maybe it can help you. I also saw the Ultimate Guide to Choosing a 3D printer book but it may be already obsolete…
Anyway I would love to talk with you about this technology and market and see if I can help you in any way to solve your problems. Can we skype some day? I sent you my skype ID on your hub. I hope you’ll have 15 min of your time so we can chat!
