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The advantages of rapid prototyping with additive manufacturing include: evaluating a design while it's still in the computer; creating a solid prototype that can be handled and operated; comparing the printed prototype with components of existing systems to ensure correct fit and function.
SAVINGS
Rapid Prototyping
RAPID
Creating a solid object for consumers to evaluate speeds the rate at which new designs can be compared. 3D-printed versions of alternative designs can be reproduced and compared much faster than individual examples of each design can be turned out, saving weeks in the production schedule.
Often, a prototype doesn't need the material strength of the final object, so manufacturers can use a plastic or resin design to test an object before investing in the cost and materials required for final reproduction.
3D-printed prototypes can also illustrate additional details for product evaluation by means of color and other indicators.
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In metal fabrication systems, additive manufacturing can create final products and designs rather than just plastic prototypes. Details such as serial numbers, branded marketing designs, and even interlocking and joined structures, such as a chain or zipper, can be included in the physical structure of the product, with no tooling steps needed beyond the 3D-printed output.
SAVINGS
Direct Digital Fabrication
DDF
Producing a single unique design (called a one-off) or another limited-production run for a specialty product, such as those used in racing, medical, and space technologies, can be costly in traditional manufacturing. Because the same mold or tooling is used only a few times, or possibly once, no opportunities exist for efficiencies of scale that bring down per-item costs in mass manufacturing.
Digital manufacturing allows updates in the middle of a production cycle without the need to retool the production line. When the digital model is modified and uploaded to the 3D printer, all future items include the change automatically.
Components such as a compressor cover for a steam-powered car or a replacement flipper for a pinball machine are long gone from a corner store, whether or not they were ever available to the public. By scanning the broken bits of an existing design or creating a new replacement part from measurements and CAD design, additive manufacturing can bring new life to outdated designs.
SAVINGS
Restoration and Repair
REPLACEMENT
You can use new materials, add reinforcements, and make any modifications entirely within the computer before creating a part. And when you create the part in lightweight, inexpensive plastic, you can test its fit and make further adjustments before creating the final object in the desired material.
This new parts-management technique means that manufacturers no longer need to store copies of all possible parts in warehouses and other locations. Instead, they can simply download the design of the appropriate component and print its replacement when needed. A complete warehouse full of individual parts could be replaced by a small shop stocking only raw materials and a bank of 3D printers.
