I realize that those who are successful are probably not going to want to contribute to this thread, but I am curious about the potential to set up a print farm in my home (I can afford 10-15 printers). Would this just be throwing money out the window, or is there real potential these days? I would love honest opinions from those that have tried or have current businesses.
I’ve got a successful business running out of my house, but I don’t know if it’s exactly what you mean by “print farm”. I have products I design and make, primarly with 3D printers. But, the driving factor for me is the products. The printers are just one of the tools I use. I currently only have 5 printers and that keeps me pretty busy and meets my demand. Personally, I enjoy the design and engineering part as much or more as manufacturing. Finding products that can be low cost to produce with a good profit margin is what I look for. I don’t think I’d enjoy just printing and shipping tons of various things.
Hope that helps and happy to give more detail if interested.
-Matt
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Did you research your market and have determined what types of 3D printed products are in demand and for what price range? Is there any potential or actual competitors operating on the same market offering similar products? Do you plan to address niches in the market where bespoke 3D products are in demand? Would producing such niche items and the amount required cover for your business costs and ensure a reasonable profit margin? Would these potential customers provide you with recurrent orders or would these be a one off (or just a few) and then you would need to expand your customer/products base to ensure a reasonably reliable cash flow? How many 3D printers would it be needed to cover the existing demand? How much cash, time, materials and effort would take to launch a printing farm and how long would it take until your investment would break even? Would you run the business by yourself, or would you need to employ someone else as well? Would it be feasible (and reasonable) to register as a SME for tax and VAT purposes or would you rather work as freelancer or even unregistered? How easy is to order and receive materials/filaments/accessories required to deliver? In other words, I’m not saying that you need a solid business plan, but some thorough market research and due diligence would be definitely necessary, from my perspective, before investing time, money and other resources.
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