I've spent $100,000 on my 3D Print Farm // Updated Tour!

[@ShopNation]

Check out my NEW 3D Printing channel [Print Farm Academy] - bit.ly/4bL0h1Y Join the notification list for the upcoming Print Farm Academy Course - bit.ly/4aoXZod Thanks for watching!

[@AlexMacNamara]

When will the course come out?

[@PrintFarmAcademy]

@@AlexMacNamara October of this year (2024)

[@RedcarWW]

Quick question, I've watched your How I Make Woodworking Plans // Woodworking Business. In that video you recommend Kevin Kennedy's course for Fusion 360. What level of Membership do you recommend? Monthly, or Lifetime? I don't see a point in annual as lifetime is only $90 more. Or is there one class you recommend?

[@LukedriveitlikearentalRo-ri7tm]

Can you make a dust shoot for the Kobalt miter saw plz

[@amathis58]

You are doing great!! Impressive my friend!!

[@glen748]

Looks like a great facility. A lean idea for you. Flip you fullfillment bench end for end. Put your shipping printer where your box tape machine is and your box tape machine where the shipping label machine is. You are currently moving away from your shipping door as you box up orders. You want your finished boxed orders at the shipping door. Save those steps.

[@sebastian3004]

Do you know how come he won't get the cancer? I've heard of stories of dude getting a cancer by having 3d print machine in his room

[@dustinhollis]

@@sebastian3004 Ventilation.

[@horizonb1744]

@@sebastian3004 ill have on printer in my tiny room here soon. ill check back in a few years and let you know

[@wittworks]

Need more bunk beds

[@steelsunpi]

Murphy bunk beds.

[@QueenisVidrina]

I take offense at the comment about no one watching the video with @Wittworks. Loved that video and even trying to implement the lighting tips for Zoom calls!

[@keeganbuilds]

only have a 10 printer print farm, but many of the processes you have detailed along your journey have tenfold improved my business. I appreciate you. Almost at my first 1,000 Etsy sales!

[@Hot.Tamale714]

Thanks for sharing your diesel heater builds!

[@1989denver]

That's really cool. I'm looking to getting into selling my prints. I just have no idea what to sell or how to start. I have 3 Qidi Xmas 3 printers now and also 2 bambu carbon combos.

[@ex-surge]

@@1989denver Hey, hows it going now?

[@sPROs3D]

@@1989denver just start, I didn't know what I wanted to sell either, I chose a niche of hooks for keys

[@TheTsunamijuan]

Might I suggest, adding a hanging like clear vinyl curtain/air flow protection. Between the pallet parking and the kitchenette. They aren't super expensive, and in the winter months or when experiencing weather. It will help keep dust and stuff ingressing into the building, and whoever is making food, or eating, much more comfortable. Just food for thought, I have worked in a lot of large small business shops over the years, and that just speaks to me immediately.

[@anthonyga]

One thing I’ve done it reduce clutter! Your shop setup has clean space to move and work. Great Job! I live by the OHIO principle - Only Handle It Once! Clean and efficient shop helps to reduce that wasted time/movement. Nice job!

[@JaysonAkersAZ]

This probably sounds so dumb coming from a random viewer that doesn't actually know you in person, but I'm so proud of you dude!! been watching & enjoying the channel for a while, and this is a pretty incredible outcome from building workbenches and organizing shop tools - wishing you all the best!

[@tuesboomer1623]

You have come so far! Well done. Your visions, ability to execute them with your surgical attention to detail are your greatest assets.

[@larkinduval1882]

Agreed!

[@nkuete]

LOVE watching your progress dude! From just a tiny garage shop jammed next to the Vette, to a full-on PROFESSIONAL commercial operation. Really great stuff

[@Liberty4Ever]

I love watching entrepreneurial videos and that's doubly true of entrepreneurs utilizing additive manufacturing. Shop Nation is a great success story and it's been great to see you grow the business. As an engineer, I also love organization and efficiency, so I watched this video when I should have been organizing my work area to make room for the new SV08 printer.

[@susan_halla]

From Shop Greatness to Business Greatness. Kudos to you, Travis!

[@BlueBearOne]

So if you are producing something in high, repeatable quantities...at what inflection point does it make more sense to buy commercial grade equipment that the "big boys" use instead of a bunch of individual 3D printers? I'm very curious about this and I trust your evaluation (if you know). Obviously, modern technology and future trends is imperative to underestimate accurate startup costs.

[@RetroFoamStudios]

Keep up both channels! I'm excited for the course to release

[@tinee9]

What I love about your channel is how you talk about it in its raw form and watch how you have progressed grown your own business that isn't just KZbin. Congratulations on your growth. Keep it up.

[@jaytea23]

Looks great! At my work, our kanban system has dividers that slide into the bins. So you have to pull the divider tab (which has the label on it) to access the quantity behind it, then place it into the kanban bin, triggering the reorder.

[@Trytec96]

Just got my dust collector delivered and installed today on my 12in Bosch Mitre Saw. As long as you know this thing was never advertised to suck up 100% of the dust, people should be pretty stoked with this the upgrade; It sure is a huge difference. Very easy to setup and came with everything needed. Very happy.

[@greggcoulter6008]

Well done. Great to see how you scaled up and made another business and channel after just recognizing a problem with miter saw dust collection and then trying to make it better. Good luck

[@hightechhippie]

agrees and I like his Entrepreneur spirit , and his ability to act on his enviroment and optimize , dude talked about reversing his fullfillment so it matched the shipping door had a great catch.

[@josephpk4878]

Dream setup. It's good to see things run by someone who appreciates the many benefits of keeping things clean and organized. Spend the money on the good tools that produce and last. Keep your materials and hardware at hand, whenever they're needed. Hopefully... pay your employees well for their work - keep them happy and healthy - give them performance bonuses when they make the company good money through hard effort.

[@theguyofalltrades]

Great video! I just started a 3D printing business. This gives me a ton of hope for future expansion. I'm finding it hard to keep up week to week as the business grows rapidly and these tips are super helpful

[@cameronschellpeper848]

Very impressive from an industrial engineering perspective! I know many manufacturers that fail at the seemingly simple things like proper inventory management and work center design. As you continue to scale, you will want to consider defining your standard work. This will give you a detailed understanding of your processes and allow you quickly identify and attack bottlenecks.

[@jerrybell1946]

This is very impressive. You have come from working out of you garage to this huge facility in a short period of time. I have purchased three of your Bosch dust collectors, one I broke, and the latest is your new and improved. They have all worked perfectly. Keep up the good work and I am looking forward to seeing your progress.

[@tylerbell6796]

1. Kanban cards are the best. Some of my career highlights have been setting those up at various companies. 2. The spot for the kids is a GREAT idea.

[@slip0n0fall]

Wild to see your journey - I started watching during your woodworking days. Quite a pivot! Glad to see you're killing it.

[@travisvinson6917]

I use to work at a factory that had a "Flow" system in place. For every unit that went out the door, all material was re-ordered. At the end of the week if 100 units were sold, material automatically was ordered. I didn't understand it myself. I just assume it's off sales, and sales history. Con-bons were used just for line feed of supplies and inventory. Awesome to see your progress. As a self-employed person myself, it's impressive to see another expand.

[@nahkanukke]

Thanks for the great tour. Well organized cosy factory. No idea where to start printing. Special prints or mass for starting.

[@Golfexpertbelieveme]

Congrats on all your success. Selfishly I hate that we lost the wood shop organizational side and videos actually making stuff. But I can’t imagine how busy you are now with all this stuff. Congrats again.

[@inspiringbuilds]

Congrats Travis, I’m proud of how far you’ve come and you certainly have the right mindset. You’ll continue to do great focusing on continuous improvement and efficiency, nice work driving down order fulfillment times! 👍

[@photorealm]

That is possibly the neatest most organized production business I have ever seen. Great job and thanks for sharing.

[@davedempsey5282]

Great detailed video on the nuts and bolts of real manufacturing. You show what that next step is, how it's done, and why it's done. So many overloaded small businesses think working harder is the key, but you have got it nailed.

[@Repkord]

I've really enjoyed following along on your journey and seriously appreciate you sharing your processes. Getting organized and running lean isn't exactly the sexiest of topics but MY GAWD does it make a big difference. You are truly building out the shop I have always dreamed of and inspiring me to do better in my own space. Thank you!

[@ShopNation]

You’ve got a pretty sweet setup yourself! Thank you

[@BenP-ue5zn]

Great job with your parts management and especially having wheels on tables. It’s the little things.

[@im_linus]

Hell yeah dude! I started my small business during the summer and finally got my first reseller, so these days I can't really be doing the "print on demand" thing anymore and I also need to build a stock like you to keep my lead times down to a few days Loads of yummy tidbits and knowledge in this single video Just like you mention, having enough filament on hand have been a major issue. And also spare-parts for the products I'm making. I'm definitely going to implement most things you've done, just on a smaller scale (I only have 3 printers.. so far) :D Thank you!

[@cliff5240]

I bought one of the dust boots for my Bosch Miter saw and it works so good that I removed the front off of the box I had built around the saw. I am very pleased with the quality and how quickly I got it!

[@greenberetwoodworks6458]

Man, I am proud to say that I have been watching you since you first put cabinets in your new garage...been a bit, great job!

[@deadlakeimperial]

Excellent video, thank you for the tour. I recommend Kaizen foam for the tool boxes that way everything has a home and can be seen if it is missing and should be returned. I use the uline parts trays with tools set in the foam for specific processes or jobs. The tray I use just have the tools needed.The tray that is taking up space on my counter or work tables are the tools needed for that specific task. I have one for dissasmbly and another for reassembly for example. Having a tray for each action helps me keep things simple. It helps me from hunting for a tool in a pile of tools and thenone I need seems to be lost. I just look at the tray and see the tool there and place it back after using it. I wll always have it where I need it. I have found attaching small labels with pictures of the hardware or component on the outside of the bins helps simplify steps. I find it frustrating pulling out several bins that are all the same color looking for an item when a glance at a small picture and description label tells you what is in the bin. I love seeing the Kanban cards and I am glad to see that they help and work for you. Good luck and I look forward to more content. The new channel looks great.

[@j.justin1511]

Hey, I at least watched the studio build-out with you and Drew. That was a blast to watch and must have been even more fun in person. Cheers and congrats on your success!

[@mtnjak]

Very cool to see how the sausage is made. I ordered a chute for my DWS780 a few months back (after attempting to design and print my own a couple years ago, having never finished figuring out my design). Yours is a great design and now I can keep woodworking and not mess with trying to figure mine out!

[@sygad1]

nice to see progress and the need for process, I wish you all the success for the future

[@themeandrousengineer]

Like a lot of people here, I do think it is impressive with how far you've come. You are in a seemingly enviable position with your booming business and KZbin channel. I work as a manufacturing engineer for my day job and I would like to have my own enterprise too, but I'm not sure I would want to recreate what I do for work at home. Although it's useful, I truly hate lean six sigma and most of it's nomenclature (I'm glad it works for you). I hear the words Kanban or Kaizen and I shudder. That being said, I'm glad you're splitting things up. Even with as far as you've come and all it's glory, there was something charming about your work with an at home shop. It was more attainable for the average person to aspire to and your solutions have been pretty interesting in that area.

[@AgentHurt]

i spent 15 years in manufacturing, 13 in progressive quality roles. i got nerdy excited at the mention of kanban and lean. neat to see what you’re doing. i think it’s also fascinating to see manufacturing to from JIT to holding some inventory. i think the demic changed some of that. i’m loving my 3 month old p1s, except it’s down for a new .2 nozzle replacement i’m waiting on.

[@DesertDolphinWoodworks]

Travis, love your go, get it work ethic. I’m grateful for your miter saw dust collection upgrade. My 12 inch Delta cruiser no longer sprays sawdust. Thank you.!!

[@tobidowski]

Hey Travis. I love your content. You are a big inspiration. Because of a lot of your ideas, I can’t stop thinking about organizing my garden shed, and my workbench tool area. I also really want to get into 3-D printing. I do have one question that I know that you know the answer to, but I don’t think you have ever talked about. Your business seems to be thriving and expanding rapidly. At what point, if at all, would it make sense to move away from 3-D printing to molded plastic parts? Is the idea to control the means of production and keep it all in house? Just curious.

[@hdwoodshop]

Nice setup you have. Great, actually. One possible and simpler option to the kanban system is the two bin system. Really easy and looks like you have good applicability in your setup. Always great to see your growth and innovation. Looks top notch.

[@gentleimpact3580]

Great setup! You really put a lot of work into it! One tip for the KanBan cards when they go on the metal racks. Slip a couple of thin magnets in before laminating everything and no one has to deal with additional magnets, the cards just hold themselves. 🙃

[@johnkelly4043]

Congrats on the success Trav! Honestly I miss the diy, shop, build stuff you use to do. But, happy for your success!

[@RedcarWW]

Absolutely love success stories like these. Goes to show that the garage to full on business model many of us grew up hearing about (Apple) is still alive and kicking today. Much of what you talked about in this video for your 3D printing business would apply to a CNC business. Instead of replacing my contractor table saw, I will be investing that money in a CNC. I am going to take a chance on myself and see where it goes.

[@RedcarWW]

What level of membership do you recommend for the Kevin Kennedy Fusion 360 training?

[@nikkolaus]

7:54 - I use to work in a print shop where we cut down huge parent sheets of paper into smaller sizes post-print, using a hydraulic powered guillotine cutter... I think this would help you in your efficiency and speed. It would also help to reduce worker injury from joint pain and inflammation from repeated actions of lifting the, what appears to be, paper cutter blade up and down, and up and down, over and over again. It doesn't have to be hydraulic - I'm sure they've made better ones since the ancient one that we had... Best of luck! I look forward to watching more of your videos..

[@terrymcchesney383]

Has been a little while since I checked in, and talk about changes....looks great, but love your thoughts about systems....couldn't agree more. Pays huge dividends....keep it up!

[@TomislavReskovic]

awesome tour, @4:20 is that condensation recuperation pool? so pump only engages if too much water is inside and if water level is below that, it just evaporates back to the room to keep same humidity% ?

[@DingoPaints]

You are the inspiration for my new print farm. You give great advice and heaps of info.

[@Stillworks]

Envious. Love the calculated approach and attention to “what might be around the corner” in, not just this, but every video you make. Best sub I’ve ever hit, great video dude.

[@kennethgarcia25]

Both exciting and informative to see your commitment to growing your business and how you've included your family and the public into the process! Thanks

[@TheBassteban]

I respect and envy entrepreneurs as a risk-averse individual. I think you did an awesome job with your print farm and I wish you great success.

[@MisterDivineAdVenture]

Yeah - super! Your audience may be small but they're VIP's. I did the duo! A long time ago I believed that small manufacturing is going to blossom again in the U.S. - and it only took another 20 years - but we are into some serious stuff now. Looking forward to your Academe.

[@AlphaMoody]

Thank you for the valuable content! I'm 19 years old and recently purchased my first 3D printer to start my own business. While I've made a few sales, I’m eager to expand but struggling to find products that sell well. I’m very interested in learning how you discover your successful product ideas and how you effectively market them. Any tips or advice would be greatly appreciated!

[@glennstruzinski]

Ive been watching since you started in your garage in TX. Youre a true success story man.

[@ogearbox6132]

Ok so you been busy which is why I haven’t seen too many vids from you in a bit. This scale up is awesome I can’t believe how far you’ve come in the last yr. Will be checking out the links.

[@mrgunn2726]

How do you manage the air filtration to ensure fumes and microplastics do not get inhaled?

[@chris_albertson]

I’ve watched you for years now, so cool to see how you’ve grown

[@ericsee4730]

Everything looks great! I have been looking at getting a 3D printer to possibly go the same route as you I've watched a handful of your videos, and I'm definitely impressed. I am currently a mechanical designer but would love to own my own business when it comes to 3D printing. (Also, I already have access to Inventor which will come in handy) I do contract work on the side which is great money but it's exhausting with working a full-time job and finding time for my family. I have 2 daughters and just want to provide them with the best life I can possibly give them. Thank you for making these videos and inspiring people like me! And I wish you nothing but luck and success on your future endeavors.

[@garrykim9098]

Great Audio. I was transfixed by the sound quality. That DJI mike is amazing.

[@drunowakowski4880]

Looking good. Good job on the kanbine cards.. I implement that at my work 15 years ago and it works.

[@robertasumendi]

This is very inspirational. Yes this is the kinda content I want to see on PFA, digging into all this stuff

[@robertasumendi]

I put together product kits for my customers so yes, everything I'm seeing and hearing here is incredible, want to see a deep dive on every detail. Thanks for your videos!

[@simonpetermurrell]

Well done Travis! Great video and all the best with your business!

[@rhinoTube]

I have a question, the stuff you know is sold more often, would it not be cheaper to injection mold them than print them at some point?

[@DJMegabit]

@Shop Nation I noticed you didnt have any pad on the floor where you were standing cutting the material. I would also recommend that for your back if yours standing at that table for a while.

[@jonathanhodson4652]

What shelving units are you using for the printers? I’m in the process of setting a small print farm up.

[@brawlman]

Efficiency in motion! 🙌 Yes, you may use it as your slogan🤙 Excellent work!

[@cltransler]

Your organizational skills and your processes are spot on! Well done. Very impressive.

[@johnkofonow]

Long time follower Travis. (I followed your plans for my miter station.)Glad to see you so successful.

[@gaveintothedarkness]

I like the inventory management system to reorder supplies. It probably is already in the software but if you could add to the cards a reorder point it would be helpful. EG if employee sees you have only 1 box of this lower use item, re-order. Or if there are 5 boxes of this higher use item, reorder.

[@kevin-haggerty]

Literally just bought my frist printer today for a bday gift to myself. I have been looking to start 3D printing products Ive had in the books for a while. This is 3D printing on a commercial level. Subbed BTW! Place looks amazing!

[@MaxG628]

So many organizers and clear horizontal surfaces. Love it.

[@jeremydumoit4487]

Just got a P1S and am amazed at how far the tech has come in the past 3 years

[@farshadbagheri]

Congratulations on your success and I look forward to seeing how you grow your business. Best of luck to you.

[@3DPrintedProps]

Just amazing, love the attention to detail in the organization of things. Love it.

[@BradKwfc]

Watching these vids makes me realize I don't want a print farm. I want to be a product design engineer. Its cool to make money off of a few products, but it would be so hard for me not to drown the business by giving into my desires of continually designing and developing new things, which, for me is where all the fun is. Thanks for making these videos. Great work!!!

[@tylerfarrell8748]

Nice shop! Using a mitre saw around my 3D Printers though.... Id need another room for wood working!

[@Twistedmetal-qe8kx]

Really excellent, going to use some of these ideas at work.

[@Sophia-uc9qh]

Hi ya, one little idea, the area for sorting a new order there's a gap between the table and the wall, you might want to run something to close it because a whole order could get screwed up because something disappeared down the back or at least just be annoying to have to retrieve fallen items or paperwork.

[@pazmaniaoh6341]

Use that giant 3d printer to create custom router templates to sell. Like for handle profiles for serving boards.

[@learysinsight5796]

Very cool and I am VERY interested in developing my ideas and moving them the heck out!

[@xof-woodworkinghobbyist]

great job, great space! I would love to see it in production mode with the people working, assembling, packaging...

[@Anthony-kd5ku]

What do you use all those miter saws for? That seems a little overkill to have that many. I work in a cabinet shop and we don't have anywhere near that many including our installers. You could turn that wall with miter shelfs into the "tool wall' and make it French cleats half way up to the ceiling to park the tool carts underneath without obstruction. Then 3D print yourself some brackets or holsters for the miters. That way its not sticking out to much and you have extra shelves now for more printers.

[@darrend5741]

Just guessing but I believe he buys them to then create aftermarket parts for them? Like 3D printed dust collection manifolds which were shown in the video.

[@miketheprintman]

Can't believe how fast you've grown in the last couple of years. That place is super organized and clean. I'm sure there is always room for improvement, but hard to beat your current setup. That is until you out grow it, haha.

[@cristian10352]

Hi, nice work you do over there! Quick question, where can I get screws like yours, minute 8:29?

[@SmashingBricksAU]

Great video. What printer is better and faster the Pusa of Bambu. My Bambu printer is hands down better than any other printer I have used

[@kz.irudimen]

I think splitting the print farm part makes sense. But maybe you could still do some shop specific 3D printing content if you have ideas about that. A print farm is something different entirely from the average home shop, but I'm sure I'm not the only DIYer/Woodworker that is probably going to get into 3D printing at some point too.

[@Bigdog1787]

Actually I'm into 3d printing, and got into woodworking because it needed a 3d printer workstation. It's more of a hobby though might go full time woodworking at some point.

[@larkinduval1882]

I was wondering what your favorite printer is for general purpose PLA prints? I noticed that you have Prusa and Bambu lab printers. I’m relatively new to 3-D printing, but understand that the Prusa’s are bed slingers and the bamboo labs are chambered core XY printers, but just wondering about what you use the most and what you like the most and what do you intend to purchase moving forward.

[@andrewbrown8148]

Congrats Travis on the progress and success~! It's been great watching your channel & business grow since I first started watching your channel. Looking forward to more general "Greatness" from you, brother~!!

[@ranlove47]

I’d like to thank you for the dust duct for the Hercules miter saw. Your product takes care of all the dust except for a very small amount. Excellent product.

[@AlienLeader4]

Awesome video. Got to love systems and processes it's what separates a great business and a struggling business. Keep up the amazing work. 👽

[@thedesigner00]

I enjoyed the studio build video, as well as all of your honest and forthcoming information.

[@joel354]

Second channel = two KZbin checks probably the main benefit

[@OVHabitats]

I saw the unveiling of the space (I can't believe it is over a year). The place looks great as expected. I still haven't gotten my first 3D printer but I may pull the trigger any day now. (He said 200 times) Keep up the great work. The OCD is paying off. (I hope)

[@Just_Jesus_ef]

Love videos like this. I'm still at a tiny level with 5 printers. Would like to see something on power supply, hardware (label machines, tape, etc) AC. And software (like POS, inventory etc)

[@shanechristopherson]

Awesome work on implementing those systems. All of it is going to be such a huge help as you scale!! It's looking more and more like a bigger business and I can't wait to keep up with where it goes!! By the way, I watched the video with Drew, it was fantastic (haha) 😎

[@hobby_addicts]

Thanks for the sharing! The kanban cards was a nice nugget that will help a bunch!

[@ImolaS3]

That is just inspirational! I guess the hard thing is building up the demand

[@Will-No-Co]

That’s a tremendous amount of work! Congratulations on your success 👍