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This manufacturing process has a range of advantages compared to conventional manufacturing techniques. These advantages are related to design, speed, and cost, among others.

Flexible Design

3D printing allows for the creation and printing of more complex patterns than the traditional processes of manufacturing. Traditional processes are more limited in limitations in design and design that are no longer in effect using 3D printing.

Rapid Prototyping

3D printing can manufacture parts in a matter of hours, speeding your prototyping processes. This allows each stage to be completed more quickly. If compared with machining designs, 3D printing is inexpensive and quicker at creating components since the component can be made in a matter of hours, which allows for every modifications to the design to be completed at a quicker rate.

Print on Demand

Print on demand is another advantage as it doesn't need a lot of storage space for the inventory, in contrast to conventional manufacturing methods. This reduces costs and space since there's no need of printing large volumes unless it is required.
The 3D design files are all stored in a virtual library as they are printed with the 3D model that is either STL or CAD files which means that they are able to be printed and located when needed. Edits can be made at very low costs by editing individual files , without loss of outdated inventory and investing in the right tools.
Solid and Lightweight Parts

Selective Laser Melting SML

The most common 3D printing material used is plastic, but certain metals can be employed for 3D printing. However, plastics offer advantages in that they are lighter than their metal equivalents. This is crucial in areas like automotive and aerospace where light-weighting is a major issue. It also helps improve fuel efficiency.
Also, parts are made of custom materials that offer specific characteristics like heat resistance, higher strength or even water repellency.

Rapid Design and Production

Depending on a part's design and complexity, 3D printing can print objects in just a few minutes, more efficient than machined or moulded parts. It's not only manufacturing the component that can help save time by using 3D printing but the design process itself can be extremely fast by creating STL or CAD files ready to print.

Minimising Waste

The process of making parts requires the components needed to make the component itself, and there is minimal or no waste contrasted to other methods that are made from huge chunks of non-recyclable material. Not only does the process save on resources but it also reduces the cost of the material employed.

Cost-Effective

In a single step production procedure, 3D printing saves time and therefore costs associated with using different machines for manufacture. 3D printers can be set up , and then left to get on with the work, meaning that there is no need to have operators present all the time. Like we said, this manufacturing process can lower the cost of components since it utilizes only the amount of materials needed to make the component itself with minimal or no waste. Although 3D printing equipment can be expensive to buy it is possible to avoid this cost by outsourcing your job to an 3D printing service company.

Access to Information

3-D printers have become more accessible with more local service providers providing outsourcing services for manufacturing work. This helps save time and doesn't require expensive transport costs in comparison to conventional manufacturing techniques that are made in countries such as China.

Environmentally Friendly

Since this technology decreases the amount of waste material utilized, it is ecologically friendly. However, the environmental benefits are increased when you take into account factors like the increased efficiency of your fuel by using light 3D printed parts.

Advanced Healthcare

3D printing is being used in the medical industry to people save their lives through printing parts of the human body like kidneys, livers and heart. More advanced applications and developments are being developed for the healthcare sector providing some of the greatest advances made by using this technology.

Cons of 3D printing?

As with any other process , there are disadvantages to 3D printing technology which should be taken into consideration prior to deciding to use this process.

Limited Materials

Although 3D Printing can create items with a variety of metals and plastics, the available selection of raw materials isn't a complete one. This is because the majority of plastics and metals can be controlled in temperature to permit 3D printing. Also, a lot of these printable materials cannot be reused, and only a small percentage are safe for food use.

Restricted Build Size

3D printers today have tiny print chambers that limit the size of the objects which can be produced. Anything bigger will need to be printed in parts and then joined in the process of production. This may increase costs and take longer for larger pieces due to the printer needing to print more pieces before manual labor is used to join the pieces.

Post Processing

Although large parts require post-processing (as mentioned in the previous paragraph, most 3D printed components require some sort of cleaning to remove support material from the design and smooth the surface to achieve the required finish. The methods for post-processing used are waterjetting, sanding chemicals soak-and-rinse, heat or air drying, assembly, and more. The amount of post-processing needed depends on several factors, including the size of the component being produced, the intended use and the kind of 3D printing technology used for production. Therefore, even though 3D printing allows for the quick production of parts the speed of manufacture can be slowed through post processing.

Large Volumes

3D printing is a static cost that is not as high as more conventional methods like injection moulding. huge quantities may be more economically feasible to manufacture. While the initial investment in 3D printing may be lower than other manufacturing processes but once the technology is scaled up to make large numbers for mass production, its cost per unit does not reduce as it would with injection moulding.

Part Structure

When you use 3D printing (also known as Additive Manufacturing) parts are created layer-by-layer. While these layers are able to stick together, it also means that they could break apart under certain stresses or in certain orientations. This is especially true when producing items using fused deposition modelling (FDM) as well as multijet and polyjet pieces generally tend to be less fragile. In certain circumstances, it might be better to use injection moulding as it creates homogenous parts that will not separate and break.
Reduced Manufacturing Jobs
One of the major drawbacks to 3D technologies is possibility of diminution of human labor as the majority of production is automated and done by printers. However, many third-world countries depend on low-skill jobs to keep their economies running The technology could put these manufacturing jobs at risk due to the fact that it cuts out the need to export production.

Design Inaccuracies

Another possible issue with 3D printing is directly linked to the kind of machine or process used, with some printers having smaller tolerances. This means that the final components may differ from the original designs. This could be rectified by post processing, but it must be considered that this could further increase the cost and time of production.

Copyright Issues

In the course of time, as 3D printing is becoming more widely available and popular, there is an increased chance for people to create fake and counterfeit items and it's virtually impossible to differentiate between them. This poses obvious problems for copyright and quality control.