If you are learning about 3D printers recently, it might sound like an awesome tool to you. Indeed, it’s a productive machine, but everyone might not find it useful. The initial investment is high, and a lot of people do not find it useful after buying it. So you might ask, is buying a 3D printer worth it?
Buying a 3D printer is worthy for some people but not for everyone. If you have a lot of things to print and have future plans with it, a 3D printer might be a worthwhile investment for you. But for someone who just finds the machine cool, I would not suggest buying a 3D printer right now.
Before buying a 3D printer, it is important to learn the pros and cons of this investment. What you can do or not is a considerable factor for a 3D printer as well. In this article, I will provide tons of information about a 3D printer so that you can make the right decision for yourself.
Why Should You Buy A 3D Printer?
There are a lot of reasons to buy a 3D printer. Here is a list of the reasons you should get a 3D printer for yourself.
It’s a creative hobby: A 3D printer allows you to explore your creativity. A hobbyist or professional artist can design 3D models and print directly using a 3D printer.
If you don’t know how to create 3D designs, you can download one from the internet. There are a lot of free 3D models available for you to print.
Fix your machines yourself: Generally, people don’t buy household appliances every month or year. If a component gets broken, you can print that using your 3D printer and save the money of buying the component.
It becomes more useful for outdated products. Replaceable components for outdated products might not be available in the market. But you can always build that component when you know how to use a 3D printer.
Print presents using the 3D printer: When you have a 3D printer, you will not need to go to the market to buy a present for your relatives or children anymore.
You can build them at home, using your own machine. Once you learn how to operate your 3D printer, it gets really easy to print almost anything.
Make money: No, I am not talking about printing money, I am talking about making an income source using your 3D printer.
A lot of people around you might want some custom products but can’t find them anywhere to buy. You can make those products for them and earn money.
Moreover, some people might be interested to learn how to operate a 3D printer. You can teach them or their child about the 3D printer and take fees for that.
Things You Need to Learn Before Buying A 3D Printer
Ready to buy a 3D printer? Good, but remember, operating a 3D printer is not easy. There is some stuff you need to learn before buying a 3D printer. Take a look at the list below to know about them.
Designing: The 3D models you want to print are not going to be predefined in the printer. You can use Google but not everything will be available on the internet. Especially if you want to make something custom and not a regular item, there is no way you are going to find that anywhere.
That’s why you need to learn to design before buying a 3D printer. Modeling and playing with technology is important before diving into the world of 3D printing.
Troubleshooting: 3D printing is not a perfect technology yet, and if you are buying one for home use, there are bound to be some difficulties.
I have seen a lot of 3D builds fail out of nowhere. Therefore, you need to know how to troubleshoot your machine yourself.
Using a desktop: Learning to use a computer is necessary for playing with a 3D printer. Using a slicer, printing a 3D model, operating the printer requires knowledge about computers.
If you don’t know much about computers and are not interested to learn, a 3D printer is not going to be a worthy choice for you.
Things You Should Consider Before Getting A 3D Printer
There is some stuff you need to consider before buying a 3D printer. If you really want to know that buying a 3D printer is a worthy option or not, you must read this section carefully. Let’s start.
- Filament costs: ABS or PLA printing requires filaments, and they are not so cheap. The price starts from $10 but that’s for low-quality filaments. If you want something good, get ready to spend around 50$ on filaments.
- Initial investment: You might think 3D printing is going to save a lot of bucks for you. A lot of 3D printer manufacturers advertise their printer as if it’s a life-saver for people. But if you count the initial investment in the total cost, you will notice that you have spent a lot of bucks on it. However, if you are a hobbyist, it is not going to be an issue.
- Size: A desktop 3D printer is going to take some space beside your computer. If your table is small and you have a lot of things to keep on it, you might not be able to make some space for your 3D printer. Consider buying a separate table to move your old stuff around your desktop computer.
- Maintenance: 3D printers are complex machines, so they require a lot of maintenance. You need to spend time and money regularly to keep your 3D printer running. If you do not have time and energy to invest nor want to spend money on it, 3D printers are not for you.
Common Misunderstandings About 3D Printers
There are some common misconceptions about 3D printers. If you are buying a 3D printer after hearing about these misunderstandings, you are in the wrong way. Take a look at these common misunderstandings so that you don’t regret spending hundreds of dollars on this machine.
The first misunderstanding is a 3D printer can print anything. Although this is partially true, you still need to use your common sense. Do not expect it to print anything that is factory-exclusive. Also, if you can’t build a 3D model of something, you can’t print that using your 3D printer.
Secondly, a lot of people think that 3D printers can use various materials for printing. Actually, 3D printers can mostly use plastics, and that’s enough for most of the 3D models for home-usage. If you think plastic is not what you want to use, maybe 3D printers are not worthy for you.
Thirdly, probably the biggest misconception or misunderstanding about 3D printers is that they save money. Although in the long run, it might seem not costly at all, for starters, it is costly. I know I am mentioning the cost again and again in this article but that is the most important thing you need to consider before buying a 3D printer.
Conclusion
If your occupation or hobby involves making plastic models and you are able to handle a 3D printer, it is indeed a good investment for you. After reading this article, I am sure you were able to decide whether buying a 3D printer is worth it or not.
So, consider all the information I’ve shared in this article seriously before investing on such an expensive machine. Thanks for reading.