What do you charge for machine time / your labor?

[sprior]

It would be faster for me next time too. I spent a fair amount of time trying to figure out how to do the domed top and now I know. I'm not completely thrilled that you can somehow create a dome based on a center point, diameter, height, and some kind of slice of the sphere. In fusion 360 it's done by creating a curve in a sketch and then sweeping it around. Then I offset that curve and swept it again as a cutting object for the extruded text.

Someday I'll get to the point where most projects go as quickly as I think they should, but I'm not there yet.

[jsc]

Use the chord equation to calculate the radius of the sphere you want for the diameter and thickness that you want.

You can use an actual sphere, and move/split it using the origin plane, or you can just use a rotated sketch as you did.

Instead of offsetting the text cutter, you should technically use a second sphere with the same center and a radius larger by the thickness you want the cutter to be.

[insta]

Sprior.. Haha great deal!

Insta, just make your 3dhub corporate focused.. Call it something with business to business in the name. I think that site is a race to the bottom, let others play that game, if you want to build a business focus on business clients and repeat orders. Working with machine shops its always the ones with repeatable customers who grow, the guys that have to take jobs from anybody get stuck always looking for work and doing it at rock bottom pricing. Often you can find shops will give you rock bottom prices on the first job, but thats unsustainable.
If I offered contract printing services I wouldn't even do non-business work, spend the free time instead honing the printer for unique abilities that a business needs. If you stay making pla/abs simple models it will be lower pricing power each month as more hubs pop up with the same capabilities.
Case in point.. Im surprised how few people are trying multi-material printing.. Look at those half million dollar connex machines.. They are selling great for a reason.. Multi-material.. It opens up so many new product possibilities.

Out of curiosity, how many business clients do you get on those hub sites?

I am developing a website on the side that I will try and drive my B2B traffic to, as well as focusing on things business clients might be more interested in (ahem like trying to actually make my multi-material prints work), larger print volumes, and metal parts. On the hub sites I will quickly decline jobs that are too finicky or just overall not worth it -- although I will usually try to subcontract it out first. If I can make a few bucks by sending the STL to someone else and handing the part to the client, I'm fine with that as well.

As for your actual question, I think about 1/3rd of the people who contact me are businesses or doing businessy things.

[dklassen]

All of my jobs thus far have been from businesses or "small" guys working on a product that needs prototypes done. I've had one request from a guy who wanted custom keyboard stand for a DYI project but he wasn't willing to pay. The Job came out to about $60 which is probably more than than his while whole keyboard project.

[nokianich]

Should I tell customers that products I sell are 3D printed?

[dklassen]

I would.

[insta]

Should I tell customers that products I sell are 3D printed?

I wouldn't go out of your way to announce or hide it. Your products are manufactured, and your manufacturing method is 3D printing. If somebody says "your parts look different than most why is that" then say 3D printing.

[dklassen]

If someone is expecting to get a nice injection molded product they might be a little miffed when they see the quality... after they've paid. I'd make sure they know upfront the items are 3D printed. Someone asking for a prototype is different than someone purchasing a final product.

[nokianich]

thank you for replies. Decided to attach high quality photos with the products so customers can see finish, shapes ant etc before they make a purchase.

[rsilvers]

Someone asked me to make 7 parts. I uploaded to Shapeways, and it said $79.

I then came up with a formula to be about half that.

Material cost marked up 4x.

$8 per hour machine time.

Came to $39 per part.

I just can't see tying up my printer for 4 hours and not getting at least $40.

Not to mention electricity and wear and tear.

I have not told him the price yet. I will see what happens.

I understand the race to the bottom of MakeXYZ though. I just can't see trying to compete with kids in dorm rooms and men who still live in their mom's basement. It is unsustainable to make parts for a few dollars each.