3D Printing is Dead... Long Live 3D Printing!

I was shocked to discover that there are no crowdfunding campaigns for 3D Printers so far for 2020. Does this mean 3D Printing is dying, or has the technology finally become "Mainstream"?

All opinions expressed in this video are my own.

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[fhuber]

Why crowd fund a new machine at $900 when you can buy an Ender 3 for $200?

Its that simple as to the end of 3D printer crowd funding having essentially stopped.

[TaniaKisha]

Became mainstream and there are massive huge collections of 3D printers. I believe it's a common thing until they'll find a new material (like metal powder) that needs new technics and devices

[dpprofessor]

0:40 Hey, that PrintABlok thing looks pretty cool. I'm gonna go check that out.


(Big thanks for the shout out and the kind words.)

[veridisQuo]

Just got my first 3d printer, it feels way more financially justifiable for the humble hobbyist now than just a few years ago

[ChevTecGroup]

When you can get an ender3, that you know will be delivered, for 165 bucks, then there is no point to crowdfunding a basic printer

[jmcb]

As a hobby, 3D printing is a lot more fun when you're stuck inside and have time to design cad models and nurse your printer along the first few layers. I reckon that 3D printing is searched less in July and August as people have other things to do etc

[Martial-Mat]

Incidentally, you might want to do a feature "Ten technologies that would transform 3D printing." I'll get you started: Self cleaning hot ends, quality monitoring, PLA mixing to create an RGB pallette, single button printer set up.

[markcrane]

Positive contribution to the community as always as well as honesty and not afraid to speak your opinion. Always good to watch your content.

[iamjosefd]

I am the owner of a 3D Printing service based in London and the July/August dip is visible on our turnover and order charts, from our perspective, this seems to coincide with students being away from university, as they are large buyers of 3D printing. But at the same time, this also applies to small businesses (who will turn to us to produce parts instead of mass manufacturing (injection moulding etc..), due to fast turnaround and affordability). And are away for the Summer Holidays (Northern Hemisphere, more people live). Our studio even closes for a week in Summer. Then when schools and companies return in September with fresh ideas ready to 3D print, business picks up again.

[DistortionsUnlimited]

We are a Halloween company and we still sculpt almost all of our monster by hand out of WED clay. Interesting to see how you use 3D printing and how others create.

[iviaverick]

Companies like Monoprice and Creality made 3D printers affordable and easy to purchase. People don't need to crowdfund to get an affordable printer anymore, so those campaigns really no longer make sense for the average consumer.

[bobaloo]

You don't see crowdfunding for televisions or stereos either, do you? Just another consumer appliance these days.

[places]

1. When you can buy en Ender 3 on Walmart for less than $300usd, it takes out the demand for developers to try to "create" something that has been done already. Three years ago, you couldn't get a decent 3d printer for under $800, so there was a space for creators to design something that could be cheaper and hence available to more people. 2.People tend to take 2 big breaks in the year (winter and summer) and after they are done school normally starts, and I guess people take a while to get back on their normal lives every time something different happens in their long term daily routine.

[TechnologistAtWork]

That being said, the home consumer market is still on training wheels in terms of build quality. There are a lot of things that need to be more modular and easy to replace and upgrade.

[randybradshaw]

A recovering crowdfunder here.
Yes, I was drawn into the hype and over promises but I actually received a “printer.” Sadly I could barely get a “Benchy” to print and it never printed well before the hot end clogged with PLA. (Replacement head available for $200) Scanning never worked and the geometry was wrong to be able to do that function. Frame went from an aluminum frame in the prototype to injection molded ABS in the deliverable. Result of the ABS “frame” was the whole machine racked with every pass of the head. The whole printer was designed to be a source of replacement part income. Quality was not a consideration.
It’s so sad that the crowdfunding model was abused so much and so badly. If done well it could have been a source for starter capital for a company to grow from. I’m not sure I’ve seen any company successfully transition from their crowdfunding roots to a sustainable business.

[bummer]

ONO, as in; "OH NO, THEY TOOK MY MONEY"

[ProfessorM]

my printer was untouched all of summer. its summer time, you go out, you play sports, you do stuff. in the winter you are al home, inside all day. so you do indoor stuff. thats my theory at least.

[Bakamoichigei]

Crowdfunding a 3D _printer_ is never a good idea. And I say this as somebody who _ACTUALLY _*_RECEIVED_*_ A TIKO._
Crowdfunding 3D printer _accessories?_ BLTouch, Diamond Hotend, Mosaic Palette, etc. There've been plenty of good campaigns for accessories.
Crowdfunding 3D print-ABLES? Hell yeah. Those campaigns for 3D printed miniatures are cool. There's also lots of great Patreons of people making cool printables.

[PilchPlays]

The dip in July and August is the northern hemisphere being on summer vacation during that time.

[kosztaz]

The drop in popularity around July every year is because of the summer. People are generally on holiday, saving up for some travel, and doing outdoor activities because of the nice weather.