Why Rent a 3D Printer?
The renting economy is emerging as one of the more successful economic trends in recent years. However, renting doesn’t only apply to cars, houses, vacations. As fast as the 3D printing manufacturing process is expanding its boundaries, renting is rapidly approaching the 3D printing field.
Despite the general decrease in 3D printer prices, 3D printer renting constitutes an appealing solution for rapid prototyping, and is ideal for
- non-expert users
- who don’t have the budget to buy a 3D printer
- who are running short-term projects where purchasing a 3D printer isn’t economically practical.
The last point makes this solution especially attractive in the case of small batch solutions or for simply test-driving a desktop 3D printer.
Naturally, pricing varies depending on the machine the customer is interested in, time for hire, location and whether or not you need a 3D printing specialist on-hand. Nevertheless, 3D printer rental provides high accessibility to users from all parts of the world.
In addition to 3D printer rental options, in the following, we also take a look at 3D printing services.
3D Printer Rental Programs
Several 3D printing bureaus offer 3D printer rental programs. For example, Airwolf 3D is a manufacturing company that allows customers to rent 3D printers.
Their platform requires a minimal rental period of one week, with a deposit that is refunded as long as the printer is returned in its original condition. Interestingly, the platform is tied to an education campaign. The customer, if unfamiliar with 3D printing, can request a 3D printing training session before renting the printer.
Another example 3D printer rental service is provided by Vshaper, to meet the needs of many industrial companies. They offer the possibility of a long-term hire of their 3D printers.
Printing "Out-of-Door"
3D Hubs was one of the first online platforms to propose “out-of-door” renting. Founded in 2013, they are the world’s largest network of manufacturing services.
The platform acts as a portal for users who want to get models printed without having direct access to a printer. Customers need only choose the most appropriate hub according to their needs (location, material type, printer resolution), and a fee is applied for the service. The company also provides constant evaluation reports, including print quality ratings, 3D printer model popularity, print category, most used CNC and 3D printing materials and color choices.
Another example of a sharing and renting online community is Threedigo. Similar to 3D Hubs, Threedigo is an online community marketplace that connects people who own 3D printers and want to rent them out with people who don’t but still want to use the technology.
Other service bureaus, such as Shapeways and i.materialize, offer their 3D printing services, helping the customer to upload the prototype model, choose the proper material, and order online. At slightly higher costs, these companies provide a wider choice of material and 3D printing technique.
For real-time estimates of all the major 3D printing services, check out All3DP’s Price Comparison Service.
License: The text of "3D Printer Rental – Why & Where to Rent" by All3DP is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.