Comment by sliceform | Hacker News Reader

Comment by sliceform | Hacker News Reader

I used to be the education director at a makerspace and now run a 3D printing company selling small plastic parts and teaching entrepreneurs how to start small manufacturing businesses at home.

Few thoughts:

- Focus on your hobbies and other industries you know well. What problems exist? Where can you make things better? Are there problems people mention over and over again?

- CAD modeling is often THE fundamental skill needed for people to bring their ideas to market. You can make CAD models that look almost real using software you can get for free. This allows you to work backwards, first determining if there's a market, and also working out many of the design flaws before making something

If you're just excited to make stuff, and want to get your hands on something, you can do all kinds of things in a tight space.

- 3D printers are small and provide many automated opportunities - Laser cutters are dead simple to set up and use to make real products and are easy to automate. - CNC machines can be had for under 5k and are super powerful - Portable MIG welders have a small footprint and welding tends to be in high demand - Leather working tends to be high perceived value though automation is limited - Soldering and electronics repair requires little space but again, automation is limited

I've got loads of other ideas too but I'm guessing that's good for now. My contact information is in my profile if you'd like to talk more.

For CAD modeling, what software do you suggest for a beginner?

Onshape (onshape.com) is generally a good starting point - its cloud based, so the usual PC performance requirement issues don't apply. Free accounts require you to have publicly viewable documents, so if you're working on something for profit, you might want to splurge for the paid version after you get up to speed.

I’m a big fan of Fusion360. It’s easy enough to learn, full of online resources, and is free for tue first year. It’s also powerful enough to do machining (CAM), which is incredibly useful for manufacturing and scaling down the line.

CNC machines for under $5k? Where might we find some of these?

MPCNC and friends

Wow, TIL — homemade CNC for under $500! The same project also covers homemade 3d printers.

Are there any other projects similar to this, making normally-expensive pieces of equipment approachable for hobbyists?

PrintNC is the next step up from MPCNC. It still needs some 3D printed parts but is mostly locally-sourced steel profile and electronics bought from Alibaba: https://wiki.printnc.info/. Last time I looked the parts cost circa $1000 but that was a few years ago and I expect inflation has probably doubled that.

If you’re not interested in DIY shapeoko and x-carve are options well under $5k as well.

I second the MPCNC recommendation. Though if your goal is production and not tinkering with a CNC machine, it may not be the best fit.

https://www.sherline.com/product/8540/

For something that isn't a desktop toy, under $5k might be a bit of a stretch but it shouldn't be too hard to find a used CNC mill for well under 10k if you're willing to wait around for a deal. Of course when you factor in shipping and tools that's probably going to add a few thousand as well. Further if you don't know what you're looking at, you run the risk of buying something with a bent frame or some damage that'll cost more to repair than it's worth. I'd recommend anyone starting out without much prior experience to suck it up and go for an entry level model from a company like Tormach, it'll further add to your cost, probably pushing you beyond 30 when all's said and done, but with financing that might still be easier on the wallet than 10-15k upfront, and you'll know it works.

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