It seems like all we’ve been hearing lately is how 3D printing and robotics will eventually take away millions of jobs, leaving the owners of high powered computers, and machines the beneficiaries, all the while widening the income gap. There is no doubt that income inequality is a major problem in many countries, both developed, and developing. 3D printing threatens to widen this gap, taking income from a typical manufacturing worker, and distributing it to whatever company or individual is willing to make the capital expenditures required to purchase and maintain these machines.
What many economists, and economic pessimists fail to realize, however, is the number of jobs which are being created, and will continue to be created based around such technologies. Designers, machine techs, software and hardware developers, and specialists in the field of 3D printing will all benefit from the expansion of 3D printing in general.
One company, MyMiniFactory, today launched their Designer’s Exchange. What the exchange does is offer designers, capable to creating 3D printable models, cash for their work. Basically it’s a marketplace for 3D design work. The MyMiniFactory Designers Exchange is quite easy to use. Set up like a typical jobs board, the exchange allows those seeking a designer for a particular 3D project to post an offer. An offer will include a deadline, a description of the job, including any files necessary, an offer price for the completion of that job, and the skills required.
If you are a designer seeking work, just head on over to the jobs board and begin browsing the work which is available. See a job that interests you? Then you can quickly apply for that particular job offer. Once applied for, you will receive a confirmation email from MyMiniFactory, and then have the ability to ask any questions to the employer, via the ‘questions form’ under the project’s description. After meeting the stated deadline, all you have to do next is upload the STL file to the site, and the funds will be dispersed via Paypal.
Already there are 13 jobs posted on the website. These jobs range anywhere from creating a model of a 1967 Shelby Mustang, to that of a Luna 2 Spacecraft. Currently the jobs pay anywhere from $10 to $60, with required skill levels ranging from ‘rookie’ to ‘expert’.
It will be interesting to see how quickly this idea expands. Opening up this market for 3D designers, where they can earn money via their skills, certainly goes a long way in showing the skeptics out there that there are numerous jobs opening up for those who seek them. As 3D printers become more popular, and companies begin utilizing such technology on a regular basis, there is no doubt that the demand for professional designers, able to design in CAD software will skyrocket.
Have you utilized MyMiniFactory’s Designers Exchange yet, either as a designer or employer? Let’s hear your thoughts thus far in the 3D printing jobs forum thread on 3DPB.com.
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