A crazy business idea with 3d scanning

[Doobig89]

So my idea is to make custom car gadgets and when I say custom, I mean for specific cars. For example, you have an Altima and you want two more cup holders? No problem, I come in, scan the enterior or the area where you want the cup holders to be and I 3d print them. Is this even doable?

 

[captureconvertcreate]

Sure thing! I've tackled a similar project for a friend's Tacoma. We used a handheld 3D scanner (Revopoint POP) to scan his center console, cleaned up the mesh in Fusion 360, and then printed a custom phone mount that fit perfectly like the original.

Your idea for the cupholder is right on target. Just scan that area (structured-light scanners are the way to go), model the piece with mounting tabs or a friction fit, and print it using something durable like PETG or ABS. Just steer clear of glossy black surfaces during scanning, applying a powder spray makes a huge difference.

It's a pretty cool niche, so definitely go for it!

 

[Doobig89]

Thanks for the boost in confidence, I needed that. So, what kind of an equipment would I need to get started? I don't have an unlimited budget, so I'm not looking for the most expensive things, but I also don't want to cheap out. Something mid range?