3D printing (aka additive manufacturing) is a rapidly growing industry that is being adopted into many companies to improve efficiency rates and accuracy. We have come up with 5 of the most beneficial aspects of 3D printing and why you should start investing, if you haven’t already.
Cost Saving Manufacturing
3D printing takes away many parts of the traditional manufacturing process including the many parts of a machine, costly replacement parts, time it takes to manually build an object, and expensive packaging and shipment costs. With many of these costs being deferred by the use of a 3D printer, that money can be allocated to other parts of a company or potential pay raises.
With 3D printing, there is a potential for a lot of creativity and new designs that would not be possible with traditional manufacturing methods. 3D printing has the ability to build an infinite amount of complex figures, whereas with regular manufacturing, there is limits because everything is based upon molding several parts together, making it near impossible to shape complex designs. One example of creative designs that are being widely produced by additive manufacturing plants is medical implants, especially prosthetics.
Efficiency of Production
Traditional manufacturing methods require blueprints, manual labor, and weeks of shaping the product into what you want it to be. With 3D printing, it takes a few hours to print virtually any object you can think of as long as you have the proof of whatever it is you want printed. With saving time, you are also saving space because those products that used to take you weeks to manufacture now only take hours, so they can be printed “on demand”.
Among the advantages of the 3D printing industry, this one is one of the most important in our society today. Many companies are adopting “green” technologies, which is a bonus of this industry. The need to stock materials is kept to a minimum along with less turnover of mishap products eliminates a lot of waste in the manufacturing process. Using 3D printing also uses a lot less energy because it only takes a few hours to print an object.
3D printers produce sustainable products in that they have multi-purpose features that allow them to develop any print without need specialized machines or parts. Since replacement parts can be printed so efficiently in this industry, many customers will see sustained use of their printed products, saving them money on replacing parts constantly.
By: Lexi Roach