Are you wondering whether or not 3D printing is worth the hype? Well, here’s what you need to know about the benefits of 3D printing and why you should try it out today.
1. Faster Production
Compared to injection molds or subtractive production, 3D printing is definitely quicker. It’s similar to comparing the speed between a horse cart and a sports car. Of course, both options will get you the same results but the time difference is quite significant. 3D printing tests designs and ideas faster from the prototype to the final product.
With faster design and production of prototypes, there’s more time to identify the target market and tweak the prototype effortlessly. 3D printing only takes a few hours. Note that, with conventional marketing processes, testing ideas and designs takes a few days or weeks.
2. Easily Accessible
3D printing has been around for a few decades. However, it became quite popular in 2010. With newer interests in 3D printing, the software has become easy to use and hardware is easily accessible. There’s more competition from brands offering these products to customers. It’s easy to learn 3D printing technology and incorporate it into your production cycle.
3. Improved Quality
Previous manufacturing methods often brought about a lot of poor designs. As a result, there were many prototypes of poor quality. Using 3D printing technology is similar to baking a cake. If the ingredients are not mixed properly, the entire result will be faulty.
Subtractive or injection molds often follow the same patterns. You can be assured of 100% high quality results at all times. However, with 3D printing, you can follow the step-by-step guide in the assembly stage. As such, you can be assured of the best quality in the prototype and the end results.
4. Tangible Design And Product Testing
Seeing a product virtually or on the screen doesn’t compare to holding a real prototype. Well, thanks to 3D printing, you can enjoy this benefit. You can actually feel the product physically, touch it, test it and also find any flaws in its design. If you find any issues, it’s easy enough to modify the CAD file and print out a new version by the following day.
5. Cost- Effective
When developing a prototype, you have to figure out a lot of expenses, especially the labor costs. Previous methods used to develop prototypes such as injection molds or production runs are costly and demand a lot of labor. There are also a lot of high labor costs associated with subtractive manufacturing.
You need to work with experienced technicians and machine operators throughout the whole production process. Don’t forget that you have to pay the laborers when using the expensive machinery. Thanks to 3D printing, you don’t need a lot of labor. You only need one person to issue a command and the job is completed.
6. Freedom Of Customization And Creative Designs
With traditional manufacturing, it’s easy to create numerous copies of the same item. As such, the process becomes dull and boring without any capacity for improvement. It’s hard to make unique designs with these techniques. Thanks to 3D printing, you can enjoy customization. As such, you can accommodate your personal preferences or those from customers effortlessly.
You are only limited by your imagination. You can make dental crowns customized to fit people’s mouths. As such, patients don’t need to visit the dentist regularly to get a proper mold for their dental crowns.
7. Unlimited Shapes And Geometry
Previous manufacturing methods relied on molds and cutting technologies to create desired shapes. However, it was tough to create complex shapes and it was often expensive. 3D printing makes the process effortless especially for unique shapes.
