this post was submitted on 26 Aug 2023
77 points (96.4% liked)

3DPrinting

15644 readers
204 users here now

3DPrinting is a place where makers of all skill levels and walks of life can learn about and discuss 3D printing and development of 3D printed parts and devices.

The r/functionalprint community is now located at: !functionalprint@kbin.social or !functionalprint@fedia.io

There are CAD communities available at: !cad@lemmy.world or !freecad@lemmy.ml

Rules

If you need an easy way to host pictures, https://catbox.moe/ may be an option. Be ethical about what you post and donate if you are able or use this a lot. It is just an individual hosting content, not a company. The image embedding syntax for Lemmy is ![](URL)

Moderation policy: Light, mostly invisible

founded 1 year ago
MODERATORS
 

I am a hobbyist, and my job will probably never require me to design and print anything for work.

I do really enjoy the process of conceptualizing, designing, and printing, and have done so for myself and some close acquaintances.

I've spent many hours/days learning the tools of the trade and was wondering if there was an opportunity to make some money as a side gig. Has anyone been successful doing this, and how did you go about it?

Here are a couple of my early designs, I plan to upload more once I clean things up a bit.

https://www.thingiverse.com/landon8848/designs

you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
[–] uninvitedguest@lemmy.ca 10 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I have made a total of $100 CAD over the course of... 5 months by selling a $10 plastic tool for strollers on Facebook marketplace. These were printed at my local library before I ever owned my own printer.

Now that I do own my own printer, I've just been enjoying printing very long prints that I couldn't at the library.

All that said, there are niche markets where you can fill a need and you can earn some slush fund money without taking on much stress.

[–] lando55@lemmy.world 7 points 1 year ago

This is exactly what I was thinking. Most of my designs are for very niche markets and hobbies, purely for enjoyment and to help people out.

I don't want to make it my full time job or anything, but $100 over 5 months would just about cover the cost of filament, so I'd be happy with that ;)