Let’s consider 3D printing in manufacturing, as well as its benefits and applications. While most of us are used to thinking of manufacturing in terms of massive facilities with large-scale equipment hammering out mass quantities of goods and materials, it might be time to think smaller. Perhaps even as small as an independent dual extruder 3D printer. Whether you run a factory or a small company from your kitchen table, a 3D printer can open doors for you and your business by providing the following advantages.
Customization Is Key
One of the biggest benefits and applications of 3D printing is how easily it can provide customized products, parts, and merchandise to your clients. At base, you can turn out items embedded with your customer's contact information and other identification. You can also turn out unique and singular items created to address your customer's particular needs. Most larger companies can’t or won’t turn out customized items for individuals since it might interfere with their system and productivity. 3D printers, on the other hand, can handle smaller jobs swiftly and efficiently with an eye toward individual preferences.
Stay Nimble
Having a 3D printer is like having a hundred manufacturing machines in one. With this one device, you can perform casting, molding, milling, honing, joining, and more. Or perhaps better put, you can simulate each of these tasks through an independent dual extruder 3D printer or similar 3D printer. As a result, there’s little waste, and upkeep is both minor and minimal. That means no factory overhead or large machinery maintenance. You can turn around professional-looking projects at lower production costs in no time, as requests come in without shutting down and retooling the works for each job.
Parts on Demand
One very cool aspect of 3D printing is that you don’t need to set aside large amounts of space for inventory that may or may not sell. In a way, even if you have yet to print a single part, you’ll never be out of stock. You can provide parts and similar short-run merchandise any time a request comes in, usually within an hour or less. The savings add up since you won’t have to use parts of your facility strictly for storage or rent space elsewhere.
The Removal of Risk
When looking at 3D printing in manufacturing and its benefits and applications, don’t forget what you’re leaving behind—uncertainty and risk. In general, 3D printers remove the potential for worker injuries and even deaths due to accidents and misuse of heavy-duty equipment. That lowers your insurance premiums while protecting employees, and you save on extensive repairs as well. It also removes the financial risk of producing too many or too few products and allows greater quality control. In short, it’s the perfect manufacturing system, or at least the next best thing!