goldenfab
Cast Iron
- Joined
- May 25, 2016
- Location
- USA Prescott , Arizona
I ordered some 3D prints from Shapeways for a prototype I made for a customer and was really happy with how they turned out. I opted for the "professional plastic" option which are nylon parts. I think they were printed with HPs Multi Jet Fusion printer. I looked at a couple different printing vendors including Xometry which got me thinking... Can one get enough work as a 3rd party from a place like Xometry to make the payment on a mid to high end 3D printer? I'm not so much interested in lower end machines or should I be? I have a cheapo hobby grade FDM printer which is very useful time to time and has its place but I don't see making any money with it. So I'm brainstorming about getting a $100k + machine like HPs Multi Jet or even metal 3D printer.
I know sometimes you can lease machines but have no idea what the terms are usually like. What is the exit plan usually like for leases if things don't work out? Say I sat down and decided on a cut your losses business exit plan such that if I did not generate enough revenue to make the lease payment after 6 months could I default on the lease without loosing my shirt?
A little more about my situation. I quit my good paying day job as an engineer a few years ago to go full time self employed home doing design work and machine work. I have an ok CNC knee mill conversion, crappy manual lathe, good welders and a fair amount of misc tools and equipment for a home shop garage. The first year I lost plenty of money and the last two years I have made a profit that is below the poverty level. Good thing is my wife's salary is plenty to keep us going and I have gained enough traction and learned enough that I feel I am at the brink of starting to make real money again. I really like what I'm doing and where the business is headed but I have outgrown my 3 car garage. We decide to buy 4 acres so I can build a dedicated home shop (34x54x16) along with a house. I just set the last truss on the shop yesterday. I hope to get a real VMC in the near future and a better lathe. A high end 3D printer would be a nice to have and would be used time to time for customer prototypes. I'm sure I could drum up a small amount of business for it on my own but I doubt it would be enough to justify the payment on such a machine. This brings me to my question. Is getting enough business from something like Xometry even something to consider? Shapeways says something on their website about being a partner too. Not sure what the arrangement looks like.
I know sometimes you can lease machines but have no idea what the terms are usually like. What is the exit plan usually like for leases if things don't work out? Say I sat down and decided on a cut your losses business exit plan such that if I did not generate enough revenue to make the lease payment after 6 months could I default on the lease without loosing my shirt?
A little more about my situation. I quit my good paying day job as an engineer a few years ago to go full time self employed home doing design work and machine work. I have an ok CNC knee mill conversion, crappy manual lathe, good welders and a fair amount of misc tools and equipment for a home shop garage. The first year I lost plenty of money and the last two years I have made a profit that is below the poverty level. Good thing is my wife's salary is plenty to keep us going and I have gained enough traction and learned enough that I feel I am at the brink of starting to make real money again. I really like what I'm doing and where the business is headed but I have outgrown my 3 car garage. We decide to buy 4 acres so I can build a dedicated home shop (34x54x16) along with a house. I just set the last truss on the shop yesterday. I hope to get a real VMC in the near future and a better lathe. A high end 3D printer would be a nice to have and would be used time to time for customer prototypes. I'm sure I could drum up a small amount of business for it on my own but I doubt it would be enough to justify the payment on such a machine. This brings me to my question. Is getting enough business from something like Xometry even something to consider? Shapeways says something on their website about being a partner too. Not sure what the arrangement looks like.