3D printing,
also known as additive manufacturing, is the process of producing three
dimensional objects from a computer file, where the entire part is constructed
by adding material layer by layer.
These days, a
majority of the companies have been embracing the use of 3D printing in China. And
the rest have plans to make use of the technology sooner rather than later and
replace the traditional subtractive manufacturing. In fact, there have been
some recent researches which show that most of the manufacturers have now
adopted the method of additive manufacturing, that is, 3D printing.
More and more
companies are embracing this 3D printing process in China because of its many
significant benefits over other traditional manufacturing techniques such as
subtractive manufacturing and injection moulding. Some of those advantages are
talked about in detail below.
·
Fast production:
One of the major
benefits of the 3D printing process is that it is way quicker than conventional
manufacturing techniques. From a prototype to a final product, 3D
printing tends to
test the ideas and designs rapidly. Faster design and prototype production
signifies more time in hand to alter the prototype if required and finish the
production process before other competitors. 3D printing only takes a few hours
whereas; other conventional methods may take up a few days if not several
weeks.
·
Easily accessible:
3D printing technology has been around for more than a decade now but it didn’t
really take off until 2010. The explosion of 3D printing to the scene has made
it easier to use software and hardware to consumers as more competition has
made an entrance to the space. It has never been easier to learn new technology
and apart from that, you can incorporate it in only a few days into your
production cycle.
·
Better quality:
Conventional production methods have a tendency to result in poor designs, and
hence, poor prototypes. You are not assured or guaranteed of the quality of the
final product 100 per cent of the time. On the other hand, 3D printing makes step by step assembly of the product
possible, which consequently guarantees improved designs and better quality
products.
·
Cost-effective:
The cost of labour
tends to play a huge role in determining the amount of money required to spend
in the development of a prototype. Traditional prototyping processes included
production runs and injection moulds, which are quite costly as they need a lot
of human labour. Hence, labour costs tend to be spiking high with traditional
subtractive manufacturing. However, with 3D printing, labour may be as little
as only one person giving a print command.
So, if you
are to avail the above mentioned benefits, it is recommended that you invest in
a 3D printer and adopt a more modern technique for your manufacturing process. You
are likely to make profits by replacing the traditional methods of
manufacturing with this modern one, that is, 3D printing.