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3D Printing: one Process, many Advantages
Additive manufacturing is commonly known as 3D printing. In this process, an object is built up layer by layer from shapeless material such as plastic or metal until it has reached its desired shape. With this method, even the production of very complex shapes and surfaces is possible. Both of these results are difficult or impossible to achieve using other manufacturing processes.Suitable Application Areas for 3D Printing
- Werkzeugbau, Toolmaking, Rapid Tooling
- Additive serial production
- Construction of prototypes and initial models
- Tools, prostheses and instruments in medical technology
- Production of copper inductors
Advantages of 3D Printing over Milling & Co.
Other manufacturing processes quickly reach their limits when it comes to producing complex prototypes or components. Undercuts, cavities or internal structures cannot be realized or can only be created to a limited extent using ablative or forming processes such as:
- Milling
- Forging
- Welding
- Drilling
- Soldering
Within the context of these processes, complex productions "from a single mold" are often impossible to realize. Corresponding parts and molds would have to be assembled from several components and subsequently machined. The additive manufacturing process is an efficient solution and opens up additional design and customization options.
Benefits of 3D Printing for Businesses
3D printing saves not only time, but also materials by holistically building the model in one step. Waste that would be produced using conventional manufacturing methods is avoided or significantly reduced in 3D printing. So it's not just the basic idea of sustainability that speaks for this process.
There are no limits to additive manufacturing in the elaboration of shapes and surface structures. Accordingly, the realization possibilities using 3D printing are diverse and generate valuable impulses for technical innovations. In addition, companies benefit from faster product development. The immediate production of functional prototypes from 3D data shortens development phases and thus the entire time-to-market.
Modifications in the design or in the finished product can be transferred directly to the 3D model and implemented. Customer-specific requirements can therefore be realized and bring significant added value for companies.
Advantages of 3D Printing for Private Customers
This individual form of production is not only interesting for industry. Private individuals can have personalized items produced with the help of 3D printing - from batch size one.
On the PROTIQ Marketplace you can find, among other things, customized pens or cufflinks (e.g. with your own name).
3D Printing: the Advantages in an Overview
In model design and prototyping, 3D printing is a particularly efficient process with numerous advantages:
- Easy creation of 3D data with CAD programs or in Reverse Engineering using computer tomography
- Construction with minimal material usage and correspondingly minimal amounts of waste
- Individual component production from batch size one
- Faster product development
- No need to use additional machines or tools
- Manufacturing directly from the 3D data
- Adjustments and modifications directly in the 3D model, including the implementation of customer-specific requirements
- Time and cost savings for complex components compared to other manufacturing processes, therefore attractive for small and medium-sized companies as well as private individuals
- Quality assurance through standardized test procedures
