3D Printing Investment & Profit: Costs & Monthly Earnings

The idea of materialize objects of all kinds It has already been a reality for several years thanks to the 3D printing.

This is an additive manufacturing technology, which use materials of any type (plastic, resin, metal, ceramic or even food) to create three-dimensional objects, layer by layer, from a digital model. Some of the infinite possibilities that this technology allows to develop include:

• Toys
• Jewelry
• Models
• Concrete
• Covers
• Molds
• Food
• human organs

This technique was born in the early 1980s, when Japanese inventor Hideo Kodama used ultraviolet light to harden plastics and create a rapid prototyping system that used photopolymers cured by ultraviolet light.

Since then, development has become an entrepreneurial industry in itself and is growing in Argentina with increasingly innovative use cases.

3D printing: how to get started and how much money you can make

Emiliano Carreira, CEO and co-founder of He trillsahead of iProUP that to take the first steps in 3D printing “a large investment is no longer necessary.”

Tridit develops and manufactures series products for firms, startups and entrepreneurs with more than 200 3D machines, spare parts and non-imported accessories from China and without immobilized stocks. It emerged this year from Carreira and his partner, Maximiliano Bertotto, with whom he also founded Trimaker.

The executive mentions that, “with a notebook and an input printer, such as the Bambu Lab A1 Mini or the Bambu Lab A1, which range between u$s450 y u$s650plus about 3kg of filament (u$s15 per kg), anyone can start making their first pieces.”

“At this point, it’s not about having a business yet, but about achieving first salestry the technology and dare to go out on the market, even with friends or acquaintances. Many even present it as a side business that complements your main job“, he adds.

Although there are printers plastics (FDM), resins, powders e even metalWhen it comes to starting a business from home, what experts recommend is to start with the filament and, in particular, with PLA (polylactic acid): an accessible, versatile and biodegradable material that is produced from sugar cane or corn.

The range can be expanded to other more demanding plastic options such as PETG, ABS, nylon o flexibleseach with properties of mechanical, chemical or thermal resistance.

David Cimino GonzálezCEO and founder of Chimak 3D, highlights iProUP that “the ideal is to start working with filaments like PLA, TPU (thermoplastic polyurethane) and PETG (glycolized polyethylene terephthalate)which are the most versatile.”

Regarding training, the Tridit co-founder responds that today’s printers are “increasingly easier” to use. “To print you need a modelo 3D (the digital mold), which can be designed in programs such as Fusion 360 or SolidWorks, or hire a freelance designer. Once obtained, the entrepreneur must learn how to configure printing parameters to obtain functional parts“, describe.

Para Cimino, “lThe training must cover the use and maintenance of printers, the behavior of each material, the handling of a slicer (the software that configures printing)and, where possible, a design program to personalize products.

For its part, Thomas ChernoffCTO of Land location and co-founder of Che3Dremembers that, at the beginning of his business (2013), the values of a printing machine (approximately u$s3,500) were worth “a tenth of what they are worth today.” However, he warns that an entrepreneur could invoice 10% of what was invoiced a decade agogiven that the market was “democratized.”

However, Chernoff clarifies to this medium that, in terms of initial investment, this represents an opportunity: “you can also start an i3D venture with an investment of $500,000 and buy a piece of metal sintered powder equipment or a metal printer, like we did.”

As for training, the entrepreneur, who recently started his parallel business, Land locationhighlights that ““You don’t need much knowledge to get started.” Regarding materials, he answers that you can print “on almost any material.”

In this sense, it describes that Grondplek works with concrete, metals, resins, and simple plasticsamong other compounds. In fact, recently, they joined the engineering giant Techint to promote the construction of works.

The CEO of Chimak 3D highlights that, depending on the type of venture, a person can “start with about $500,000 or less if you want to sell some basic objects at fairs or online“, in agreement with what was expressed by his colleagues.

“On the other hand, if we talk about setting up a store for supplies, repair and 3D printing products, The investment can reach around US$50,000 to equip the space with competitive stock,” he says.

Is it profitable to start an i3D business in the Milei era?

For Carreira, once the venture is built, the next step comes with 3 or 4 printers, presence on social networks and eCommercewhich allows “to generate income of around US$1,000 per month“.

In his position, the last stage is the preparation of a microenterprise: “with a farm of 10 to 12 printersa validated product and a digital advertising plan, you can achieve a billing up to US$4,000 per month or more. That’s where you should focus 100%: stop seeing it as a hobby and start thinking about it as a signature.”

“The printer gives you the product, but that’s just where the business begins. You have to learn to sell: manage social networks, take good photos, generate attractive content, take care of eCommerce. Many makers They stay halfway in these steps. The key is to choose a niche, specialize, and build a community around it. The opportunities are endless,” he says.

Another of the leading companies in the sector at the national level is PrintaLotthe first Argentine company to manufacture printing filaments for the sector in Argentina. Mariano Pérez, Engineer and co-founder of the firm, tells iProUP that the flexibilization of imports “greatly improved the purchase of inputs, machines and spare parts”.

He clarifies that, despite the end of the stocks, today They cannot “pay raw materials in advance”a factor that prevents them from “developing relationships with new suppliers, which restricts us from launching new materials and/or obtaining better costs.”

Asked about the flexibility to import products from abroad, and the relative stability of the dollar, specialists agree that The opening of imports allowed access to a greater variety of elements that were previously very difficult to obtain locally, such as:

• Extruders
• Plates
• Hotends
• Resins

They even reveal that New brands of 3D printers arrived in the countrywhich made “competition become more dynamic and changed the map of players in the sector.”

Chernoff relates that, prior to the relaxation of imports, his brand went through a difficult time: “If we had to buy a board or a critical component for the business, it meant traveling and bringing it under our shoulders. We couldn’t afford to stop production due to shortages.”

He expresses that, although CHE3D stopped dedicating itself to the sale of equipment and the B2C market, “dollar stabilization brought a little more predictability“, but at the same time “a fairly complex economic situation persists.” He emphasizes that They lost competitiveness and the cost of labor is “really high”.

3D printing in Argentina: the industries that most demand this technology

More and more sectors incorporate additive manufacturing into their processes. According to Carreira, today produce spare parts to:

• Refrigerators
• Air conditioners
• Spare parts for maintenance
• Supports
• Housings
• Merchandising

“Technology is also advancing in the automotive sector, in medicine and dentistryand in areas such as architecture y designwhere everything from models to functional furniture are created. But the true potential is in segments that have not yet fully explored this innovation, such as agro, oil & gas, mining y construction“he continues.

In Argentina, the founder of Che3D believes that the dental industry is the one that uses technology the most for dental models and aligners. “There are several relevant industrial clients in the pharmaceutical market, but also in the automotive or mechanical metal market,” he emphasizes.

“There is still great potential in areas such as jeweler’s, dentistry, construction y modawhere customization and on-demand production can make a key difference,” adds Cimino.

“The interesting thing is that very diverse areas are being added: it is no longer just prototyping, but real serial production. Technology has changed a lot in these years. Today there are faster printers, with higher qualities and with more innovative materials“, summarizes Carreira.