Benefits of 3D Printing Technology
Many
companies have embraced 3D printing. Others have plans to introduce the
technology and replace traditional subtract manufacturing. As a matter of
fact, recent
shows that over 70 percent manufacturers have
now adopted 3D printing. Additionally, over 50 percent expect 3D printing
technology to be used for high volume product development, and about 22 percent
others estimate that its effects on supply chains will become even more
disruptive.
A 2015
report by Worthless Associates, a leading 3D printing analyst firm, estimated an
annual 31 percent growth in the 3D printing industry between 2014 and 2020. In
2014, the 3D print industry produced approximately $4 billion global revenue.
In 2016, over 275,000 3d printer worldwide
according to Wohler’s yearly report. Projected growth shows that 3D printing
will ultimately generate more than $21 billion in revenue across the globe.
Using 3d
printing Technology can provide numerous benefits both for individuals and
businesses alike. Here are ten significant benefits that 3D printing technology
provides:
1. Faster
Production
3D printing
is quicker than conventional manufacturing including injection molds and
subtractive production. Think the speed of a sports car versus the speed of a
horse cart. Both will reach their destination, but the time difference is
significantly huge. From a prototype to a final product, 3D printing tests
ideas and designs quickly.
Faster
design and prototype production means more time to iterate the prototype and
find product market fit before competitors. 3D printing production takes just
hours. Conversely, testing ideas and designs with conventional manufacturing
methods can take up days, if not several weeks.
2. Easily
Accessible
3D printing
has been around for decades but it really did not take off until 2010. The
explosion of 3D printing interests has brought easier to use software and
hardware to consumers as more competition has entered the space. It’s never
been easiar to learn the technology and you can incorporate it in a matter of days into
your production cycle.
3. Better
Quality
Traditional
manufacturing methods can easily result in poor designs, and therefore poor
quality prototypes. Imagine a scenario where someone wants to bake a cake by
combining all the ingredients together, mixing them up, and putting them in the
oven to cook. If the elements did not mix well, the cake will have issues such
as air bubbles or a failure to cook thoroughly. That is how subtractive or
injection molds can sometimes be. You are not assured of quality 100 percent of
the time. 3D printing allows the step-by-step assembly of the object, which
guarantees enhanced designs and eventually better quality objects.
4.
Tangible Design and Product Testing
There’s no
way seeing a product on the screen or virtually can compare to the actual feel
of a prototype. 3D printing offers that benefit. It is possible to experience
the touch and feel of the product prototype to physically test it and find
flaws in the design. If a problem is found, you can modify the CAD file and print
out a new version by the next day.
5.
Cost-effectiveness
Labor costs
play a huge role in determining the amount of money to be spent in developing a
prototype. Traditional prototyping methodologies including production runs and
injection mold are costly as they require a lot of human labor. Labor costs are
also very high with conventional subtractive manufacturing. You need
experienced machine operators and technicians to handle the production. Also,
you have to pay these laborers and use expensive machinery. With 3D printing,
however, labor can be as little as one person issuing a print command.
6.
Creative Designs and Customization Freedom
Traditional
manufacturing techniques are good at creating millions of copies of the same
thing. It results in same dull and boring designs without the capacity to be
improved much. Making each design unique with these techniques is
extraordinarily hard.
3D printing
allows for endless personalization, which makes it much simpler to accommodate
personal touches that are requested from customers. Your imagination is the
only limitation. You can make a crown that is precisely engineered to fit in
someone’s mouth for example. This cuts down on the number of visits that a
patient needs to make sure they have a properly fitting crown.
7.
Unlimited Shapes and Geometry
Old methods
of manufacturing rely on molds and cutting technologies to generate the desired
shapes. Designing geometrically complex shapes can be hard and expensive with
this technology. 3D printing takes on this challenge with ease and there’s not
much the technology can’t do with the proper support material.
8. Can
Implement Assorted Raw Materials
Product
designers have to keenly calculate their steps when it comes to materials to
use with either subtractive or injection mold manufacturing. Mass manufacturing
doesn’t support the blending of raw materials as it can be expensive.
Furthermore, combining chemical and physical elements is complicated. 3D
printing easily accommodates a diverse range of raw material including glass,
metal, paper, ceramics, biomaterial, silver, etc.
9. Less
Waste Production
CNC cutting
and injection molding result in a lot of wasted resources. Both involve the
removal of materials from solid blocks. Unlike these two, 3D printing only uses
material that is needed to create a prototype part – no more, no less.
Additionally, reusing the materials from a 3D print is relatively straight
forward. As a result, additive manufacturing creates very little waste, and
saves a company a lot of money.
10. Risk
Reduction
When it
comes to product manufacturing, a good designer knows that proper design
verification is crucial before investing in an expensive molding tool. 3D
printing technology enables product designers to verify product prototypes
before starting out on substantial manufacturing investments that can sometimes
be disastrous.
3D printing
enables you to turn a concept into reality faster than you can imagine.
Products are built quickly and cheaply. The technology will no doubt continue
to transform every industry, changing the way we work and live in future.
Advantages of 3D printing
A1. Less machine, material and labour costs
For any
business, costs are important and one of the advantages of 3D printing is that
it will help to bring costs down. The costs are split into three different
categories known as Machine Operation Costs, Labour Costs and Material Costs.
A. Machine costs
Machine
operation costs play a very small part in the overall cost of the manufacturing
process. While the energy required to create parts in an industrial environment
can prove to be high, the ability to develop and create complex parts and
products in one step creates an increased level of efficiency and saves on
time. Therefore, the cost of running the machines is offset by the savings made
during the manufacturing process.
B. Labour costs
One of the
good points of 3D printing is the fact that labour costs are kept low. Unlike
traditional manufacturing where many different people may be required to
operate a number of machines or a production line is required to piece together
the product, 3D printing removes this. Each 3D printer will require an operator
to start the machine before it begins an automated process of creating the
uploaded design. Therefore, the labour costs are significantly lower as there
is no need for skilled machinists or operators to form part of the process.
One of our
customers said about the advantages of 3D printing: “On average it takes 2-3
design iterations before a product design is finalized for production. This can
severely impact time to market, with up to an additional 30 business days added
in. The cost of the 3D printed model costs less as, without any manual labor,
it only takes 2-4 hours to create a model. You can read more here about the
advantages of 3D printing for Orto+.
C. Material costs
As this is a
relatively new technology that is gaining momentum, the material cost can still
remain high. However, the range of materials is growing and this makes it
possible for the price to decrease over time. But, in the same way as the
machine operation costs, in comparison to traditional methods, the overall cost
is a lot lower.
It is clear
by now that one of the advantages of 3D printing is that it allows for the
creation of prototypes that authenticate form and fit and most of all, the
costs are a lot cheaper than those associated with other manufacturing methods.
Along with
this, the cost of complexity does not change. Creating complex mechanical
products or parts requires skill and precision and that results in an increase
in cost. However, 3D printing does not require any additional costs for complex
parts as the parts can be designed prior to being uploaded for printing and are
then sent for creation in one simple process.
