Can a 3D Printer Pay for Itself? Real Examples

3D printers have been growing in popularity in recent times, and they continue to develop in usefulness and ease of use. Many people wonder if a 3D printer can pay for itself so I decided to write an article about it.

Can a 3D Printer Pay for Itself?

Yes, a 3D printer can pay for itself. There are 3D models that people use to create functional 3D prints, allowing you to save money on buying objects. One researcher found that a 3D printer can save up to $2,000 per year if you have a lot of desire for plastic items such as drones, cosplay, or gaming miniatures.

There are many examples where 3D printers can pay for themselves if you put your mind to it. Many people buy 3D printers but only print out cool looking models or things to impress their friends.

After you go through that initial stage, you can start to figure out where your 3D printer can bring you some functional uses.

I’d highly recommend learning how to design parts in a CAD software like Fusion 360 or a basic one like TinkerCAD to get you started in getting your 3D printer to pay for itself.

It’s definitely possible to get a 3D printer to pay for itself within a year, especially if you get the budget ones like the Ender 3 from Amazon, which you can get for under $200.

Another example would be Dungeons & Dragons Miniatures. You can create these on a filament printer like the Ender 3 above, but you can get better quality using a resin 3D printer like the Elegoo Mars 2 Pro from Amazon.

A D&D miniature, professionally bought can cost around $8 just for one model like the D&D Nolzur Dragonborn Male Fighter, weighing about 28 grams.

Using a resin 3D printer, the cost in materials for a 28 gram model would be around $1 ($35 per 1KG of resin). This means you’ll save around $7 per miniature, so for a $300 resin 3D printer, and $35 per KG of resin, it would take around 50 minis to get your 3D printer to pay for itself.

You might not be able to get the exact same level of detail, but users mention that you can get very close nowadays with the developments in technology.

Over time, things will get better and better.

Check out the video below comparing 3D printed minis with official minis.

One user mentioned how he designed and 3D printed an underwater head tracking FPV camera module for his 3D printed RC boat.

Check out the video below to see this really functional 3D print.

A similar gadget if you were to buy a professional version could cost upwards of $300.

How Do You Justify Buying A 3D Printer?

1. It Can Generate Money For You

Some people make a living through 3D printing services, locally or by setting up a delivery service directly to customers. Of course, there are other 3D printing services that do the same thing, but it’s still a market you can tap into it.

The most difficult part would be finding people who actually want to buy 3D printed objects, but once you get a few people, maybe some friends or from a workplace, word of mouth can spread quite fast.

Facebook is a great place to get some attention to your potential 3D printing service, showcasing some of your models.

In this digital era, it’s easier to connect with people who want custom-made objects—such people part with a good chunk of cash for the things you can tailor for them.

Check the video below for a great example of making money with 3D printing.

You can identify a niche with demand for fast-moving objects and concentrate on delivering want they like. It seems to be a good idea because you can be able to make a lot of money, especially if the objects move fast.

You can print things like a car phone holder, wireless chargers, speaker casings, tabletop game pieces, famous figure busts, and plenty more.

You can also print parts to replace or repair a broken item. For instance, once user once said it helped in the repair of a faucet after he had failed to get a replacement of the broken part.

You can also make money by training people on how to use the 3D printer. There may be several people who see potential in 3D printing but are still rookies.

You can opt to take courses for them too, or even start a YouTube channel helping users, but this would be a longer journey to getting an income from 3D printing.

Since you are paying only the initial cost of the 3D printer then for the plastic filament, the costs to create unique and hard-to-purchase items are around $25 per KG of filament.

3D printing on demand services can create just one model and recoup their money for the whole spool of filament.

I also wrote an article called 16 Cool Things to 3D Print & Actually Sell – Etsy & Thingiverse.

2. 3D Printing Is Environment-Friendly

Science Direct once mentioned that we can reduce the use of global energy by 5-27% by 2050 if we embrace the additive manufacturing process.

This is because 3D printing has minimal waste compared to traditional manufacturing methods.

It’s because the material is part of the final product, unlike the traditional method, which consumes a more significant object to churn out the final product. Check out an article I once wrote on 11 Reasons Why You Should Buy a 3D Printer to get more details.

Interestingly, additive manufacturing uses less electricity than the other traditional methods. Check out my article on How Much Electric Power a 3D Printer Uses.

3. It Offers a Competitive Edge

The companies that have embraced the 3D additive manufacturing process have reported having a competitive advantage over the other companies. Forbes attributes this to manufacturing adaptability, a reduction in the production process.

You may also be aware that 3D printing lowers the cost of production because it does most of the tasks, rather than needing multiple processes and steps to be created. It also offers other benefits like the liberty to choose the design you want and it’s highly customizable.

One of the most prominent examples is in the hearing aids industry, where over 90% of new hearing aids are 3D printed due to cost savings and customizations.

A 3D user recently reported to have 3D printed a functional water pump, which according to him the printing was very cheap. All he needed was a sparing motor of about 550 DC; he then used his 3D printer to create the rest.

Another user also mentioned that he had purchased a quad battery that failed to fit in its original cradle. He decided to make a new cradle on his own and he could not believe how cheap 3D printing is.

3D printing accessories for luxury gadgets like Apple products or DSLR cameras is common to save plenty.

4. It’s a Hobby Worth Mastering

Some people are engaged in 3D printing just for the fun of it. While they can be fun to use, some hobbyists have come up with beneficial things. You can acquaint yourself with the designing part of it, and you may end up being productive in multiple things.

I have read some articles where some experts started 3D printing as a hobby, but they ended up being gurus after mastering the two aspects. As much as you may have begun 3D printing as a hobby, it can end up being your side hustle since you can earn some money after selling the prints and designs.

I also came across an article by one user who was so into 3D printing and electronics that it became a hobby. He mentioned that he came up with a light dog collar customized for his dog in the process and it was water-resistant.

It’s a unique hobby that can assist you in practically any other hobby in one way or another.

How Can You Make a 3D Printer Pay for Itself?

1. Create 3D Printed Products for Sale

As stated earlier, you first want to identify a niche for yourself. For example, a user narrated how they had started making table-top gaming dice boxes for charity events their family supported. They found a niche for simple boxes and towers and designed it within no time.

They started selling the dice boxes and a few other printed items altogether for slightly above $400, and they had spent only $150 for the materials.

Check out the video below for 50 things you can 3D print to make money.

2. Print Household Items That You Were Going to Purchase

It seems that getting a 3D printer might not be a bad idea after all. Considering there are many things that you may want to buy, you can reduce spending cash on those items and print them on your own.

Some people have also mentioned that it can save you a lot of money on repairs, especially when a costly item fails due to a tiny plastic part.

Someone posted online how he had looked for a PC Gaming Accessory tray but could not find any because the accessories were out of stock.

The situation continued for a month until he decided to get FreeCAD and design one for himself. In addition, most families purchase games for their children to play at home; thus, games may be a good market to explore.

Many people 3D print their own spice racks, saving them a decent amount of money.

One example of someone printing a household item they were going to purchase is a reservoir bottle being broken. Rather than purchase a new bottle, they ended up creating an attachment to the bottle which fitted nicely, since these bottles have similar thread sizes to screw in.

The idea of shifting mentally from a consumer to a producer as perceived by many can make for you a good chunk of money.

3. Create Phone Accessories

Everyone has a mobile phone nowadays, so there is plenty of reason to venture into phone accessories and create the accessories for sale.

There are some cool unique ideas out there of people creating phone accessories such as:

4. Selling Your 3D Expertise & Information

Selling off your 3D expertise is also another way of making your printer pay for itself apart from selling the prints. The house models you can do for architecture can count in most cases.

If you can also manage to get people with hobbies such as model cars or planes, you won’t lack something to do for them. You can create a YouTube channel, a blog, or even start a 3D printing course, and you are sure to attract people. All this will be making the printer pay for itself.

Check out my article on 5 Ways How to Make Money with 3D Printing – A Neat Guide