Crowd Sourced 3D Printing?!?!?!

[Kurt The 3D Printer GUY!!]

I was just thinking about this again tonight. And, yes - for a specific reason...

Now - there have been several co's that started this way - essentially - MakeXYZ and 3DHubs. 

But- those were on a larger level - and slightly different. 

The thought I had was...

Let's say I have a project - and I want to produce a Number of Prototypes. Like - NOT a Massive # - but, as a Test - where I might have 200 sets of parts printed over time. As in - people place orders - and then I send the print jobs to a number of folks. 

Yes - Obviously - Everyone gets paid for the parts they print!

But, whole idea is to produce initial prototypes that people buy - to test out a project. 

So - as people place orders (let's say - via an Etsy webpage) - I would then send out orders to folks. 

Also - FYI - the idea is NOT as a BIG Money maker for me - but, as a Test - of people trying out my prototypes. Such that as they try them - and folks like them, then, I eventually stop selling on Etsy - and I instead launch a KickStarter for the project! 

But, the initial prototypes - I price them Reasonably. Such that the folks that print it - get Reasonable pay - and the Buyers - are not charged like a HIGH Fee - just cause it's a Prototype. 

Does this make sense? 

Of course, yeah - does anyone here think this is a Good idea - and does ANYONE here think they want to be a part of this kind of Crowd Sourced Printing effort???

I'm right now pushing forward on THREE different projects - each which could potentially launch as one of these kind of Crowd Sourced Printing. 

AS such - yeah - if you find it interesting - please do hit me back!

-Kurt the Bot-Guy...

[david merten]

That's an interesting concept.  Its kind of a pre-kickstarter with distributed network of printing/fulfillment.  Which could potentially save on shipping costs.

I remember 3DHubs back in the day. I knew several people that printed for them. The big issue was print quality across the different people. But the machines were so primitive back then. Then they phased out all the printing contractors, and went in house printing only. Lots of pissed off people.

Anyway, for me would depend on complexity,  time, and whether I had the machines you needed. 

              David

--
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "3D Printing Tips and Tricks" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to 3d-printing-tips--...@googlegroups.com.
To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/3d-printing-tips--tricks/918a953c-7eb5-47a4-ba2a-d967506e5b7an%40googlegroups.com.

[Kurt The 3D Printer GUY!!]

Thanks David for the feedback. Yes - it would indeed be essentially like a Pre-Test before a KS campaign launch.

Yeah - I was there at the start of 3D Hubs. I personally knew the 2 founders - hung out with them several times in those early years - a NYC Meetups and at NYC Maker Faire. Yes - initially - it was all Hobby level printers. But, then they made things stricter - limiting who could print - then eventually it became ONLY folks who had a Pro-Level machine, like my StrataSys Mojo - and back then - pretty much ALL my print jobs for pay for 3D Hubs & MakeXYZ were done via my Mojo - I did NOT use my hobby level printer for those services (Except in a few limited cases). But, it was NOT a business that allowed me to survive financially.

-K

[Bob Swika]

I may be interested depending on the complexity of the project. I believe we have at least two of the same printers, Snapmaker U1 and Elegoo Centauri Carbon, so the quality of the parts should be the same. 

Bob

On Aug 13, 2026, at 8:39 PM, Kurt The 3D Printer GUY!! <vr...@optonline.net> wrote:

I was just thinking about this again tonight. And, yes - for a specific reason...

--

[Bob Swika]

I never printed for 3D Hubs but did a lot for Makexyz. At one point I was getting regular orders from a business that was using my parts in the product they assembled and shipped. Wasn’t a lot of income but it easily paid for all my printers. 

Bob

On Aug 14, 2026, at 7:18 AM, Kurt The 3D Printer GUY!! <vr...@optonline.net> wrote:

Thanks David for the feedback. Yes - it would indeed be essentially like a Pre-Test before a KS campaign launch.

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/3d-printing-tips--tricks/b433b277-c329-4170-ae70-525852fdf314n%40googlegroups.com.

[Kurt The 3D Printer GUY!!]

Hey there Bob - thanks SO Much for the interesting. I'm guessing you ARE here in the USA??

Yes - we do indeed have the same printers. I even have the Canvas for my ECC1 - but, alas - have NOT even set it up yet. Especially since lately ALL my printing has for the most part been on my U1. But, I HAVE been using the ECC1 for single color/material prints. Some of my recent projects I will have to share on here soon...

Also - I'm curious - do you live close to a Beach? This past winter I was pushing forwards on my Sno-Bloks. Now I redirected my efforts to my Sand-Bloks. I printed 2 sets for a co-worker, as she lives right on the Lake here in OH - and has a Ton of grandchildren. She's actually going to try the Sand-Bloks herself this weekend. But, it would be Awesome to have Several more Beta testers for the project!!!

-K

[Bob Swika]

Hey Kurt,

I live in Northeastern PA so I’m a couple hours away from the beach. 

I had the Canvas on order but after having my U1 I couldn’t see myself using it much so I emailed Elegoo and asked for a refund. They gave me the refund within a couple days with no hassle luckily. 

Bob

On Aug 15, 2026, at 9:35 AM, Kurt The 3D Printer GUY!! <vr...@optonline.net> wrote:

Hey there Bob - thanks SO Much for the interesting. I'm guessing you ARE here in the USA??

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/3d-printing-tips--tricks/c2a7cb79-cac9-41fd-9ee8-8e267233980cn%40googlegroups.com.

[Kurt The 3D Printer GUY!!]

Bob - What the Hallibut?!?!?

You're just a SPIT Away from me! I'm in Northeast Ohio - only like 50 min to the PA border - and literally like 12 min from Lake Erie and a potential beach!

We should Absolutely meet up! Maybe a Beer at the Beach (sounds like a Rock Band name!).

I'm going to try and DM you also...

Understood - No Canvas - Got it.

-K