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There is shortage of 3D printing filament because of virus, so I've been creating filament and selling it. https://medium.com/endless-filament/make-your-filame

There is shortage of 3D printing filament because of virus, so I've been creating filament and selling it. https://medium.com/endless-filament/make-your-filament-at-home-for-cheap-6c908bb09922 https://medium.com/endless-filament/make-your-filament-at-ho... This activity also help recycle waste plastic. Production cost of filament is $7.5 per 5kg and filament roll has 850 gram filament and can be sold for $20-30 per spool It's trivial to get the quality right. You can sell rolls on Amazon, eBay and Etsy or your own Shopify store and use Facebook ads/Google Ads to advertise your website.

pat_space 6y ago
Thanks for the link. Where are you selling your finished product?
- econcon 6y ago
  Amazon for now
soared 6y ago
I don’t think someone working at a call center has the technical aptitude and financial resources to source and build there own extrusion machine.
- xeromal 6y ago
  Hard times can make hard people. You don't know what someone is capable of until they're backed against a wall. I was a computer repair man until my parent's divorce and the 2008 market collapse which forced me into a CS degree.
  - soared 6y ago
    Computer repair -> computer science. Call center -> building machines from scratch based on a medium post. Sure it’s possible but I don’t think the suggestion really makes sense. You can be blind to the fact that hn is in the 1% of intellect/ability, but it should be obvious that effectively no one can honestly take that suggestion. Unemployed, low on cash, and then in a low-skill industry it doesn’t make sense to risk $500 to $1000 on a project that you likely won’t be able to build.
    - econcon 6y ago
      Yea but OP is trying to help his friend and I am pretty sure they've some friend who might have experience working with mechanical things, maybe they know a mechanical engineer and JV, produce output and turn it into a mini factory, we never know!
    - xeromal 6y ago
      I definitely get it from the capital perspective. I just want you to give underemployed a fair shake before making a judgement.
    - digitaltrees 6y ago
      BS. For most of human history there was no manufacturing, people made stuff by hand. Every human is Capable of learning and making this machine. And it’s awesome that people are trying to teach others.
    - droptablemain 6y ago
      I'm pretty sure the people down-voting you to Hell don't know a single working-class person working a dead-end job for peanuts.
- setr 6y ago
  Technical aptitude is probably not significantly required, as a guide exists, forums exist, and shop employees exist -- you should be very far away from "starting from scratch". The main risk in low-knowledge is that you're liklier to fail at finding "cheap but good condition", instead obtaining "cheap and breaks in a few months" Cost is the bigger concern, but at 600-700 $, it's hardly mind-numbing.
- TrackerFF 6y ago
  Lots of technically gifted people working dead-end jobs, due to things like location, family situation, lack of formal education, personal issues, or whatever :-)
  - econcon 6y ago
    Yes, I know a lot of people who don't have opportunity or have some sort of mental roadblock that makes them not put efforts into area which can potentially produce result. I am not sure if there is some name of this phenomenon. But usually they need a visionary who can make them believe in the idea and then they can put their work/efforts/mind into it with confidence and they do end up achieving the result at the end.
  - HeyLaughingBoy 6y ago
    Exactly. As the saying goes "talent is evenly distributed; opportunity is not." I've known lots of very smart people working what would be considered dead-end, or at least, lower-end jobs.
- __s 6y ago
  Have you worked at a call center? In a past life I worked at a place where my manager & IT guy were originally call center workers. The manager was a crafty guy, does nice woodwork. My ex happened to also work at that call center & is now an illustrator. Another friend from that place eventually went to college to be a machinist
  - uoaei 6y ago
    It's almost like some people don't attach their identity to their job, and make an income to pursue their interests in other hours.
    - gumby 6y ago
      Indeed. I've always hated that question "what do you do" (meaning your job) and usually answer it with "about what?" I understand it's a pretty straightforward way to look for common ground and introductory topic of conversation, but there's a massive implication which I consider socially corrosive.
      - RhysU 6y ago
        What is the implication and why is it socially corrosive?
        __s 6y ago
        The implication is that you define someone purely by their career. It's socially corrosive because we end up with people valuing themselves based on their vocation, & consequently we judge a man's worth on the salary he brings home
        gumby 6y ago
        The implication is that one's worth comes from one's job, with the corollary that one's role in society is that of "worker" and "consumer", or if not simply just "consumer" then worthless. It is socially corrosive because it is removes any concept of social relationship from the calculus of social worth. And you see this in the discussion of "opening up the economy" as though that is the #1 parameter of existence. Certainly without a functioning economy there is no food or other basic needs, but the objectives are complex functions, not simplistic ones. The implication is that those who were not lucky enough to have a job that generates income during a time of pandemic must needs put themselves at risk while others need not. Disgraceful. It's the same reason I cringe when people talk or write about "consuming content", as if "content" is fungible and that peoples' roles are to "consume" it -- when information is not "consumed" (destroyed) by being enjoyed.
- blackguardx 6y ago
  I used to work in a call center and now work as an EE with a masters degree.
- cosmodisk 6y ago
  I work for a call centre of sorts.You wouldn't believe the kind of skills people have.
- pascalxus 6y ago
  People are a lot more capable than you think. There's a pretty vast oversupply of talent and not enough jobs to fill them. As a result, you have people who are capable of becoming so much more ending up in menial, low end jobs.
- digitaltrees 6y ago
  Crisis is the mother of invention and motivation. This thread is awesome because it’s the sharing of knowledge that will give people opportunities. Even if they don’t currently have the ability it’s amazing to teach each other.
- quickthrower2 6y ago
  Reminds me of the people who think if you have C# experience you can't handle other programming languages. Amazing how having a skill can be seen as a negative! Yes on average people who can do X can't do Y might apply, but in this situation and the interview one too, you are talking about a specific person not an average.
kube-system 6y ago
> It's trivial to get the quality right. Is it really? I've looked into this a good bit myself and it seems that many who have tried this have trouble keeping the diameter consistent. I suspect that if it really was trivial, then you'd think just about any commercial supplier could get it right, there's a lot of junk filament out there. Maybe you are just very good at it; +-0.02 is pretty good even by commercial standards. The entire first page of Amazon best sellers are +-0.03 or +-0.05.
- econcon 6y ago
  >Is it really? I've looked into this a good bit myself and it seems that many who have tried this have trouble keeping the diameter consistent. If you'll check my medium post, I've linked a video where I am extruding filament. Problem with those hobbyist machines is motor torque/power rating. And second, they don't use a special screw and barrel. The motor used in professional extruders used in real filament factories starts at 5 horsepower for the smallest machine. If you miss those two things, there is no way you'll get within 0.03mm Without any PID feedback loop, I can get within 0.03 by setting puller speed manually. >I suspect that if it really was trivial, then you'd think just about any commercial supplier could get it right There is no reason to believe that junk filament is coming from people with good machine design. That could be coming from hobbyist underpowered extruder machines like filaestruder and likes. >Maybe you are just very good at it; +-0.02 is pretty good even by commercial standards. The entire first page of Amazon best sellers are +-0.03 or +-0.05. At higher extrusion speed you'll get more output per extruder machine time but you'll have lower filament dimensional stability. So the trivial part is have a powerful motor, use a good screw+barrel and don't extrude too fast. That said I've offered my telegram in medium post and YouTube video. So anyone who gets stuck can reach out to me. I am not leaving them hanging on their own. Also, I am looking to make a microcontroller firmware for extruders which basically measures the filament then sets the puller roller speed based on thickness measured. It pulls filament faster if it's thicker than target and pulls filament slower if filament is coming out to be thinner than expected. This will help us reach 0.0020mm accuracy easily! The problem I am facing is: 1. I am not good with micro controller and control algorithms 2. Laser guage which measure the filament without distorting it is expensive and starts at 2K USD. So anyone who can help solve these technical challenges are welcome. But you might not need this much dimensionally accurate filament. Selling within 0.03mm is easy. Anything better not sure how much it will help FDM quality but yes microcontroller firmware approach will help get more output out of this machine as biggest problem with extruding too fast is that dimensional stability goes haywire.
quickthrower2 6y ago
In 2 weeks time: There is a shortage of Extruders because of the people making 3D printing filament at home. So I've been creating Extruders and selling them. :-)
- nineteen999 6y ago
  You're all good until somebody starts selling a pre-packaged Extruder factory.
  - econcon 6y ago
    There are companies who sell packaged extruder: https://www.noztek.com/product/noztek-xcalibur/ https://www.noztek.com/product/noztek-xcalibur/ The 13k listed machine produces 2kg per hour. Extruder are heavy and low demand item, even cost of shipping will double the price of the machine which I've made.

pat_space 6y ago

Thanks for the link. Where are you selling your finished product?

econcon 6y ago
Amazon for now

soared 6y ago

I don’t think someone working at a call center has the technical aptitude and financial resources to source and build there own extrusion machine.

xeromal 6y ago
Hard times can make hard people. You don't know what someone is capable of until they're backed against a wall. I was a computer repair man until my parent's divorce and the 2008 market collapse which forced me into a CS degree.
- soared 6y ago
  Computer repair -> computer science. Call center -> building machines from scratch based on a medium post. Sure it’s possible but I don’t think the suggestion really makes sense. You can be blind to the fact that hn is in the 1% of intellect/ability, but it should be obvious that effectively no one can honestly take that suggestion. Unemployed, low on cash, and then in a low-skill industry it doesn’t make sense to risk $500 to $1000 on a project that you likely won’t be able to build.
  - econcon 6y ago
    Yea but OP is trying to help his friend and I am pretty sure they've some friend who might have experience working with mechanical things, maybe they know a mechanical engineer and JV, produce output and turn it into a mini factory, we never know!
  - xeromal 6y ago
    I definitely get it from the capital perspective. I just want you to give underemployed a fair shake before making a judgement.
  - digitaltrees 6y ago
    BS. For most of human history there was no manufacturing, people made stuff by hand. Every human is Capable of learning and making this machine. And it’s awesome that people are trying to teach others.
  - droptablemain 6y ago
    I'm pretty sure the people down-voting you to Hell don't know a single working-class person working a dead-end job for peanuts.
setr 6y ago
Technical aptitude is probably not significantly required, as a guide exists, forums exist, and shop employees exist -- you should be very far away from "starting from scratch". The main risk in low-knowledge is that you're liklier to fail at finding "cheap but good condition", instead obtaining "cheap and breaks in a few months" Cost is the bigger concern, but at 600-700 $, it's hardly mind-numbing.
TrackerFF 6y ago
Lots of technically gifted people working dead-end jobs, due to things like location, family situation, lack of formal education, personal issues, or whatever :-)
- econcon 6y ago
  Yes, I know a lot of people who don't have opportunity or have some sort of mental roadblock that makes them not put efforts into area which can potentially produce result. I am not sure if there is some name of this phenomenon. But usually they need a visionary who can make them believe in the idea and then they can put their work/efforts/mind into it with confidence and they do end up achieving the result at the end.
- HeyLaughingBoy 6y ago
  Exactly. As the saying goes "talent is evenly distributed; opportunity is not." I've known lots of very smart people working what would be considered dead-end, or at least, lower-end jobs.
__s 6y ago
Have you worked at a call center? In a past life I worked at a place where my manager & IT guy were originally call center workers. The manager was a crafty guy, does nice woodwork. My ex happened to also work at that call center & is now an illustrator. Another friend from that place eventually went to college to be a machinist
- uoaei 6y ago
  It's almost like some people don't attach their identity to their job, and make an income to pursue their interests in other hours.
  - gumby 6y ago
    Indeed. I've always hated that question "what do you do" (meaning your job) and usually answer it with "about what?" I understand it's a pretty straightforward way to look for common ground and introductory topic of conversation, but there's a massive implication which I consider socially corrosive.
    - RhysU 6y ago
      What is the implication and why is it socially corrosive?
      - __s 6y ago
        The implication is that you define someone purely by their career. It's socially corrosive because we end up with people valuing themselves based on their vocation, & consequently we judge a man's worth on the salary he brings home
      - gumby 6y ago
        The implication is that one's worth comes from one's job, with the corollary that one's role in society is that of "worker" and "consumer", or if not simply just "consumer" then worthless. It is socially corrosive because it is removes any concept of social relationship from the calculus of social worth. And you see this in the discussion of "opening up the economy" as though that is the #1 parameter of existence. Certainly without a functioning economy there is no food or other basic needs, but the objectives are complex functions, not simplistic ones. The implication is that those who were not lucky enough to have a job that generates income during a time of pandemic must needs put themselves at risk while others need not. Disgraceful. It's the same reason I cringe when people talk or write about "consuming content", as if "content" is fungible and that peoples' roles are to "consume" it -- when information is not "consumed" (destroyed) by being enjoyed.
blackguardx 6y ago
I used to work in a call center and now work as an EE with a masters degree.
cosmodisk 6y ago
I work for a call centre of sorts.You wouldn't believe the kind of skills people have.
pascalxus 6y ago
People are a lot more capable than you think. There's a pretty vast oversupply of talent and not enough jobs to fill them. As a result, you have people who are capable of becoming so much more ending up in menial, low end jobs.
digitaltrees 6y ago
Crisis is the mother of invention and motivation. This thread is awesome because it’s the sharing of knowledge that will give people opportunities. Even if they don’t currently have the ability it’s amazing to teach each other.
quickthrower2 6y ago
Reminds me of the people who think if you have C# experience you can't handle other programming languages. Amazing how having a skill can be seen as a negative! Yes on average people who can do X can't do Y might apply, but in this situation and the interview one too, you are talking about a specific person not an average.

kube-system 6y ago

> It's trivial to get the quality right. Is it really? I've looked into this a good bit myself and it seems that many who have tried this have trouble keeping the diameter consistent. I suspect that if it really was trivial, then you'd think just about any commercial supplier could get it right, there's a lot of junk filament out there. Maybe you are just very good at it; +-0.02 is pretty good even by commercial standards. The entire first page of Amazon best sellers are +-0.03 or +-0.05.

econcon 6y ago
>Is it really? I've looked into this a good bit myself and it seems that many who have tried this have trouble keeping the diameter consistent. If you'll check my medium post, I've linked a video where I am extruding filament. Problem with those hobbyist machines is motor torque/power rating. And second, they don't use a special screw and barrel. The motor used in professional extruders used in real filament factories starts at 5 horsepower for the smallest machine. If you miss those two things, there is no way you'll get within 0.03mm Without any PID feedback loop, I can get within 0.03 by setting puller speed manually. >I suspect that if it really was trivial, then you'd think just about any commercial supplier could get it right There is no reason to believe that junk filament is coming from people with good machine design. That could be coming from hobbyist underpowered extruder machines like filaestruder and likes. >Maybe you are just very good at it; +-0.02 is pretty good even by commercial standards. The entire first page of Amazon best sellers are +-0.03 or +-0.05. At higher extrusion speed you'll get more output per extruder machine time but you'll have lower filament dimensional stability. So the trivial part is have a powerful motor, use a good screw+barrel and don't extrude too fast. That said I've offered my telegram in medium post and YouTube video. So anyone who gets stuck can reach out to me. I am not leaving them hanging on their own. Also, I am looking to make a microcontroller firmware for extruders which basically measures the filament then sets the puller roller speed based on thickness measured. It pulls filament faster if it's thicker than target and pulls filament slower if filament is coming out to be thinner than expected. This will help us reach 0.0020mm accuracy easily! The problem I am facing is: 1. I am not good with micro controller and control algorithms 2. Laser guage which measure the filament without distorting it is expensive and starts at 2K USD. So anyone who can help solve these technical challenges are welcome. But you might not need this much dimensionally accurate filament. Selling within 0.03mm is easy. Anything better not sure how much it will help FDM quality but yes microcontroller firmware approach will help get more output out of this machine as biggest problem with extruding too fast is that dimensional stability goes haywire.

quickthrower2 6y ago

In 2 weeks time: There is a shortage of Extruders because of the people making 3D printing filament at home. So I've been creating Extruders and selling them. :-)

nineteen999 6y ago
You're all good until somebody starts selling a pre-packaged Extruder factory.
- econcon 6y ago
  There are companies who sell packaged extruder: https://www.noztek.com/product/noztek-xcalibur/ https://www.noztek.com/product/noztek-xcalibur/ The 13k listed machine produces 2kg per hour. Extruder are heavy and low demand item, even cost of shipping will double the price of the machine which I've made.