Last November, we covered a company called Protocow, which offered a quote generation service for businesses offering 3D printing services. An embeddable widget on a company’s webpage would make it easy to spit out a price for a print job, including materials and labour, depending on a given print size. After receiving a great deal of interest from home 3D printer users, the company has simplified their STL Harvester app for those who have a limited range of materials and printer processes, giving desktop 3D printer users a tool for launching a 3D printing business out of their home.
Protocow’s new, streamlined widget for “3D printerpreneurs” makes it so that anyone can embed a quotation generator into their personal website. After setting price per material per cm3, as well as labour, profit and the commission that goes towards Protocow for their service, the widget can turn any site into a 3D printing business. I believe that, since their initial launch, Protocow has added a $0/month option to their pricing models, which would be particularly beneficial to home 3D printer users. With this option, you’d pay a 10% commission fee for every print you sell and you’d be able to perform 100 prints per month. The STL Harvester app also checks for holes or non-manifold models that will alert the printerpreneur, so they can in turn alert the customer.
The company sees the inclusion of home 3D printer users as complementary to that of professional service bureaus saying, “The more people get into contact with 3D printing, the more the professional 3D printing market will benefit. For example, due to the size of the model, the material or the finishing which sometimes can only be printed by a professional 3D printer. Therefore, this group adds value to the printing volume in the professional market.” From personal experience, I feel as though this is true. My friends have been pretty unimpressed by my rough, monochromatic, FFF parts, so when it comes to 3D printing actual gifts for people, for instance, I’ve used professional 3D printer services with higher end machines. Those using the technology for professional purposes – printing industrial parts, etc. – would likely have an even greater desire to have something that is professionally finished.
Source: Protocow
