3 Reasons Why 3D Printing is Good for Product Development
Product manufacturing can be a complicated, time consuming and expensive process unless the right procedure is applied. People in the manufacturing department are always looking out for ways to make the process of developing new things a better, faster and cheaper process, which might be a tough job to do. However, with the exceptional growth of 3D printing industry over the past few years, this goal does not seem to be unattainable. If you are wondering how this technology can help in product development, you can have a look at this post which gives you three reasons why 3D printing is good in the manufacturing process.
3D Printing for Product Development
- More Models can be Created in a Short Time Period
With CAD software, it is easier for designers to give shape to the ideas and test their design within the software itself. But testing a prototype becomes necessary most of the time, so that a proper feedback can be obtained.
3D printing can help in such situations. With access to a 3D printer, designers can create iteration of prototypes and that too in a short span of time. Prototypes of parts of the model can be printed out for testing, rather than waiting for the entire model to be completed. This will reduce the print time as well as the cost of the prototype. This will help in making necessary changes and have the end product quickly.
- Better collaboration leads to Improved Design
With 3D printed parts, the designs can be communicated to the manufacturers and suppliers as well as the sales team. With better collaboration among other teams, it becomes easier to create an improved design. It can be determined beforehand whether the product can be manufactured economically and the issues (if any) can be addressed in the early stage. This will stop any miscommunication and help in the manufacturing process.
- Create Prototypes which gives a view of Potential Flaws
Now with 3D printing, original end-use materials like nylon, polycarbonate or ABS can be used in some cases. In other situations, blow molds and patterns for silicone molding, injection molds, etc. can be used. With this it is possible to create a prototype with a material that is not otherwise available for 3D printing. This will ultimately help in field testing a prototype in a much better way as it will be similar to the manufactured end- product.
By using 3D printing in product development, manufacturers can reduce the total manufacturing time as well as the cost of the entire development process considerably.
