5 Ways to Make Money With a 3D Printer in 2024

In the past, 3D printing was mostly reserved for industrial applications, mostly used to make functional prototypes and intricate designs. But in the last decade, 3D printers have been adopted by hobbyists, entrepreneurs, and businesses alike. Anyone with access to this machine can now make gadgets, jewelry, replacement parts, you name it. The only limiting factor is your imagination and creativity.

What’s more, you could turn this hobby into a side job and earn some extra money. In this article, we’ll explore 5 of the best ways to make money with your 3D printer.

5 ways to make money with a 3D printer in 2024 — a closer look

Before we get into the details, there are some things to address. Firstly, the type of 3D printer you own dictates the types of services you can offer. For example, if you only own a cheap 3D printer, you may not be able to offer the best customized items as these printers usually lack fine precision, detailed resolution, and support for a broad color range. However, if you are skilled in 3D modeling, you can still offer 3D modeling services.

With this out of the way, we can dive into the 5 ways to make money with your 3D printer in 2024.

1. Sell customized 3D-printed products

This is likely the most straightforward way to make money with 3D printing, but it does depend on the quality of your 3D printer. If you have access to a more advanced printer like a resin printer, however, you’ve got a lot of options. 

However, before you start printing random objects and selling them online, you should first identify profitable niches that align with your interests and expertise. You’ve got a myriad of options, such as printing toys, collectibles, jewelry, replacement parts, and many more. You could even print accessories for building a custom ASIC miner.

After you’ve chosen your niche, conduct market research and explore existing products to identify gaps in the market. By offering unique designs, good quality, and competitive prices you can successfully market your products. Lastly, you should decide on a platform to sell your products, depending on your niche.

Platforms like Etsy are a great way to sell your 3D-printed products

You can also expand your business to provide on-demand printing services. For example, selling educational models to schools or providing prototypes for startups could be a lucrative business venture, but it would likely require you to expand your operation beyond just one 3D printer.

By using crypto payment gateways you can also accept payments in cryptocurrencies, though this solution would likely require you to employ certain workarounds on popular shopping websites.

2. Sell digital 3D model files

If you’re skilled in 3D modeling, selling digital 3D designs (known as STL files) is a fantastic way to make money from 3D printing. Compared to selling physical products, it may be more desirable to those who don’t want to manage an inventory of products. 

Once you’ve created and uploaded your designs, they will be available to thousands of customers, which offers a steady stream of income. The total earnings depend on the pricing of your STL files, which you should price according to the complexity and intricacy of your 3D model. 

There are many platforms where users can upload their designs, with these platforms rewarding high-quality designers.

Sites like PIXUP offer many perks for STL designers

This method is particularly attractive because creating 3D models is free. Of course, to get the skills you need to sell high-quality products you will likely need to spend hundreds of hours learning and studying, which is a hefty time investment.

Another option would be turning your 3D models into NFTs, which you can then sell.

3. Create 3D printing-themed content

Another viable option to make money with your 3D printer is producing content. By sharing your expertise, knowledge, and ideas, you can generate income through ad revenue, affiliate marketing, and sponsored content.

Content such as product reviews, tutorials, and software walkthroughs are always in demand, so you’re likely to succeed by producing high-quality content. If you’re thinking about taking this route, you’d do well to research what the top creators in the industry are doing to better understand the type of content they produce.

If you’re consistently posting high-quality content, engaging with your audience, adapting to new trends, and successfully monetizing your content, you should be able to generate a steady stream of income from your content side hustle.

4. Offer 3D printer rentals

This is a more hands-off approach, appropriate for those who don’t have much time to turn their 3D printing hobby into a side job. At the same time, it’s also one of the most consistent ways to make money with your 3D printer, as selling products and producing content is still somewhat luck-dependent, regardless of your skill. 

The only requirement for renting your 3D printer is finding customers, but that shouldn’t prove to be a challenge. Schools, engineering students, and local manufacturers are all viable customers, but you can also earn some money from people who are just looking to test a 3D printer before committing to buying one.

5. Offer 3D-printing training and workshops

3D-printing technology is becoming more and more mainstream, which means that the demand for workshops and online courses is also increasing. This presents an opportunity for 3D printing experts looking to make money with their 3D printers.

Hosting workshops and providing online courses is not too dissimilar from creating 3D-printing content, so you might want to combine the two, as this would bring in more money and you’d cater to a wider audience. 

You could offer courses about basic 3D printing techniques, advanced 3D modeling and design, and troubleshooting common issues. Depending on your preferences, you could provide these as full-fledged online courses or in-person workshops. As alluded to before, having a platform to advertise your services could greatly expand your reach.

Frequently asked questions

Now that we’ve broken down some of the best ways you can earn money with 3D printing, let’s go over some frequently asked questions about the topic.

What are the costs associated with 3D printing?

Your costs entail the initial 3D printer purchase, materials (filament, resin, etc.), maintenance, and electricity. The price of 3D printers can range wildly, from only a few hundred dollars up to several thousand, depending on the printer’s capabilities.

Can I make money with 3D printing?

Yes, you can make money with a variety of 3D-printing services. From custom products to online courses, your success depends on how well you fill a niche and effectively market your services.

How do I market my 3D printing services?

Marketing your 3D printing services involves creating an online presence, leveraging social media, and engaging with potential customers. Hosting a platform where you provide high-quality content greatly helps.

The bottom line

There are many ways you can make money with 3D printing, from selling online products to making 3D-printing content. Your success depends on carving out the right niche for yourself and marketing your services to a wide audience. By investing enough time and money into your 3D printing hobby, you can likely turn it into a profitable side business.

If you’re looking for more ways to make money with a side business, you can look into our article going over secret websites where you can make money. For a more crypto-oriented approach, you can read our article detailing how to earn free cryptocurrency.