If you are fascinated by 3D printing you may have tried to figure out a way to make a business out of it. There are many ways you can go about it. One – as I have often argued – is learning CAD and offering a low cost prototyping service to everyone in your neighborhood with a RepRap 3D Printer. That, however, is about designing more than actually making things. If you love 3D printers, what you would want to do is offer a 3D printing service with every technology there is. However, if your name is not Shapeways, Materialise or Sculpteo, the initial investment required is likely a tad bit beyond your reach.
What you can do is use the knowledge you have built about 3D printing technologies and offer the 3D printing service through everyone else’s technologies. Chances are, by now, there are a few people around you that have invested in high end 3D printers and are not using them as much as they would want to. Since filling up the printing plate is fundamental for optimizing costs, especially for high end technologies such as SLS and 3D Systems full color plastic and gypsum inkjet, you might find someone more than happy to work with you. In that case all you need to start is Fabnami.
We have covered the system developed by former CERN researcher Alessandro Usseglio Viretta previously, only now it has been optimized for easier access and we have actually had a chance to try it out. Alessandro developed all the back software that allows anyone to upload an STL file, have it analyzed for printability by his own proprietary system and receive a price quote based on the pricing agreements you have signed with your local partners.
This means Fabnami also caters to the needs of 3D printing services with a professional grade 3D printer in-house allowing them to rapidly and conveniently set up the entire online and commerce interface. In fact Nick Allen from 3DPrintUK, a leading nylon SLS 3D printing service in London, has been one of its first adopters and most outspoken supporters. More satisfied early users include Tyler Pope form 3DPrintingAlly in the US and Stevens Senn, from my3Dworld in Switzerland.
Fabnami’s new offer includes three different plans tailored to each company’s specific needs. The StartUp plan includes up to 150 offers a month and up to two different materials. Moving on to Standard you will be able to offer up to 3 materials and 300 quotations per months, while StandOut will give you up to 900 offers per months, support within 24 hours and up to 4 materials. As the market develops further new plans will be introduced to offer even more materials.
To test it out I have linked my own Fabnami Hub in my personal Replicatore.it blog, coordinating with Milan based Idea Factory store for nylon SLS 3D printing (to begin with). Set up only requires a couple of days at most (once you have the pricing), after that the process is as smooth as can be. The software reads the file and comes up with an immediate price quote. I kept my own prices high to begin with until I can get the entire process better started out but the entire process is so simple that I was actually tempted to buy my new nylon 3D printed custom iPhone 6 case from myself for 45 euro. If the Fabnami name is any indication, upon reaching a critical mass, customization will become the norm and a personal fabrication tsunami.
