Why 3D Printing Is The Future Of Manufacturing

The rapid increase of the world’s population has forced a surge in manufacturing to meet the increasing demand. You may not be entirely aware of this, but this can have an extremely negative impact on the environment and individuals. Rapid manufacturing can mean an overuse of unethical ways to achieve the desired outcomes. For example, exploitation of employees and increased use of fuel and factories built that contribute to air and soil pollution. 

Some of these issues can be minimized with the use of 3D printing. These machines utilize computer-aided design to design 3D objects from different materials. They are often used to create sunglasses, phone cases, bike handles, furniture. 3D printing is becoming increasingly more popular in the manufacturing industry and this can only continue to rise. This article will explore why 3D printing is the future of manufacturing by discussing some of the benefits of this approach. 

1. Flexible Design

One of the main benefits of 3D printing is the flexibility it provides when it comes to the design of new items. Standard manufacturing approaches have restrictions in place, therefore it does not allow for more complex designs to be manufactured. 3D printing may be the future of manufacturing, particularly in the design of complex projects.  

2. Rapid Prototyping

Traditional manufacturing processes can take a long time to create new items and parts. The time spent manufacturing new parts utilizing 3D printing is significantly reduced and can actually be achieved within a few hours. This makes the prototyping process much faster, as well as any further stages required for the completion of the item. In addition to this, 3D printing is considered much cheaper and allows manufacturing to be more efficient. 

3. Ease of Access

You may think that 3D printing is a thing of the future, although you would be surprised to know that this is becoming vastly accessible as a higher number of local service providers are enabling outsourcing services for manufacturing projects. It is recommended you visit prtwd.com to learn more about 3D printing services local to you. This is great as businesses will not require international providers for manufacture and can achieve the job locally, saving time and money.  

4. Print on Demand

Standard manufacturing approaches require time and effort, and there is little point in creating something unless it is done in bulk. This is why there may be certain items that are overly created and packed away as stock. As far as companies are concerned, this is an issue as having too much stock requires a place to safely store the items, which increases costs. Using 3D printing enables stock to be held virtually, as companies can provide customers with a virtual template of what they can do and create on-demand. 

5. Strong and Lightweight Parts

3D printing mostly uses plastic to create parts, which enables lightweight parts to be created whilst still being efficient and strong. This is crucial for certain industries like aerospace and automotive, where they require lightweight parts that are able to perform the job successfully. Additionally, items can be made from tailored materials to allow particular properties like higher strength, heat resistance, and water repellency. 

6. Fast Design and Production

This will depend on how complex a part’s design is; however, generally 3D printing can create items within hours. This is much quicker compared to traditional manufacturing machines and processes. Both the design and production are much faster, meaning you can quickly create an item and print this out in 3D. 

7. Waste Reduction

Thinking about the environment is a must, and an increasing number of people are becoming more aware of the impact they have on the planet as individuals. You may be familiar with how traditional manufacturers work and the need for factories, which contribute to overall pollution. 3D printing actually makes little to no waste and uses fewer resources, in comparison to other ways of manufacturing.  

8. Cost-Effective

When used solely as a manufacturing approach, 3D printing saves time as well as costs, when compared to other machines for manufacture. One of the biggest differences between 3D printing and usual manufacturing processes is that it does not require operators and can be used on its own once it is set up. Any company utilizing this method can save up a significant amount of money. Moreover, as mentioned previously, this approach may also minimize costs on materials as it only requires a certain amount for the part with little waste created as a result.  

3D printing is being more used across a range of different industries as people are becoming more aware of its benefits. This page informs you of some of the benefits of 3D printing, which is why it is the future of manufacturing.