Advanced planning vs printing\non-demand<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
One of the biggest advantages of additive\nmanufacturing is that 3D printing does not require tooling or molding to be\nmade. This can lead to a much faster turnaround time, as well as lower material\nand labor costs, as a major step of traditional manufacturing workflows —\nthink injection molding — is bypassed completely.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This can lead to relatively immediate\non-demand production; all that\u2019s needed is a digital file to be 3D printed.\nShortening lead times between design and production means less upfront work for\nyou — so if you don\u2019t have the time for a hefty chunk of time to plan in\nadvance, moving to 3D printing on-demand can kickstart the process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Supply chain kinks<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Traditional bulk production often includes\ncalculated supply chains built on the premise of low-cost supplies, which in\nmany cases means reliance on overseas suppliers. When those supply chains are\nconfronted with unforeseen kinks — perhaps international borders closing due\nto a global health crisis, for example — operations can completely shut down.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On-demand production with additive\nmanufacturing goes hand-in-hand with decentralized production. 3D printing has\nbeen on the rise due to recent global events that have overturned traditional\nsupply chains, as international logistics are unnecessary. Shapeways is\nheadquartered in New York City, with manufacturing facilities in Long Island\nCity and the Netherlands, maintaining a prominent global presence around the\nworld.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Storage and inventory costs<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
A major need for bulk parts comes from the\nongoing need for spare or replacement parts. In many cases, these parts are\nmade at the same time as original parts and physically stored in massive\nwarehouses, ready to be pulled from the shelf and shipped out as needed. That\ncan be convenient — but can also lead to tricky situations when those physical\nparts take up physical space that needs to be paid for, and when they run out\nafter a design becomes obsolete without regular inventories being made anymore.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
3D printing spare and replacement parts on\ndemand removes the need for physical storage. When spare parts are stored as\ndigital files, no shelf space need be taken up, freeing up warehouse floor\nspace and the costs needed for physical storage. Only as many parts as are\nrequired at a given time need be made, and so long as that design is available\nthey can be made at any point, even if the original supplier is unavailable,\nobsolete, or out of business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Reduced waste<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Milling, casting, molding, and other\ntraditional forms of manufacturing broadly require significantly more material\nthan just what goes into a final part. Subtractive processes like cutting and\nmilling carve out parts from larger blocks of material, inherently creating\nwaste in the production stage. That waste ultimately adds up in terms of both\ncost and lack of sustainability. For molding and casting, additional tools like\nmolds are needed as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Additive manufacturing is, well, additive.\nMany 3D printing processes build up a part layer by layer, using only the\nmaterial necessary. Even when support structures are required during the build,\nthese are often lattice-like structures that use much less material than would\notherwise be cut away on a CNC machine. Using only the material required is a\nmajor cost- and waste-saving measure that is unique to additive manufacturing\nwhen it comes to production — and especially so when it comes to bulk orders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Factors to\nconsider when choosing a manufacturing service<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Working with a manufacturing service for your bulk production needs can create a smoother workflow. When you work with Shapeways bulk 3D printing<\/a>, you immediately gain access to expert-driven design, customer service, and production quality. A manufacturing service like Shapeways also comes fully equipped with a broad variety of hardware, software, materials, and — perhaps most importantly — the expert know-how about when and why to choose the best-fit option for each. Making the choice to work with a manufacturing service, though, is still a multi-faceted decision-making process that includes factors like upfront costs, volume, model complexity, material, time-to-market, and future iterations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In-house production can often make a lot of\nsense. Using your own equipment and personnel shortens supply chains, tightens\nturnaround, and ensures you always know what\u2019s happening. It does, though,\nlimit production efforts to what you have already invested in. New industrial\nmanufacturing equipment requires substantial upfront investment and training,\nand while that equipment will presumably be targeted toward the process(es) you\nuse most, it may not always be the best choice for a new application.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When you need a run of parts for a bulk order,\nbut that isn\u2019t a standing need that would offer a logical return on investment\nthat would merit buying in to new industrial equipment, turning to a\nmanufacturing service offers immediate access to the appropriate manufacturing\ncapabilities. Costs are limited to the order you place without additional\ncapital investment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Outsourcing bulk production frees up your time\nand team to focus on your own operations. When having parts manufactured at\nvolume, there will inherently be a good amount of time dedicated to that\nmanufacturing. A manufacturing service offers access to an industrial facility\ndesigned for volume production.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This includes access to industrial 3D printing\nequipment. An industrial SLS machine, for example, can produce magnitudes more\nindividual prints than could a desktop 3D printer. Final quality of those parts\nwould also be superior due to post-processing capabilities geared toward\nhandling large quantities of parts at a time. End-to-end fulfillment can be\ngreatly enhanced in a full-scale production facility.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Design for additive manufacturing (DfAM) is a\ndedicated discipline that requires attention to a new set of design parameters\nfor this new form of manufacturing. While designing a relatively simple\ngeometry for your part may be in your wheelhouse, a more complex 3D design that\nleverages some of the biggest advantages possible with additive manufacturing\n— think lattice structures that offer strength but with less material and lighter\nweight, or reducing part counts — requires thorough DfAM knowledge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Working with experts in DfAM who work\nday-in-day-out with these technologies can help you generate the perfect design\nfor your model, as well as gain access to the technology and materials to make\nit come to life. When you\u2019re in the market for bulk manufacturing, ensuring the\nperfect design is a critical step before producing that design en masse.<\/p>\n\n\n\n With more than 10 3D printing technologies and\nmore than 75 different choices of material to suit, Shapeways has you covered\nfor plastic, metal, sandstone, and casting needs. Each of these processes and\nmaterials can be suited for bulk orders of any size. Our automatic bulk pricing\nfor Nylon 12 makes bulk 3D printing seamlessly easy, for example.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you have a design file ready to go for bulk 3D printing, great! It\u2019s off to the 3D printers and shortly to you. If, though, you need some work in designing, rapid prototyping<\/a>, and getting market-ready first, we have full workflows in place to ensure that your time-to-market can be fully optimized. Working with 3D printing — and DfAM experts — at every step can streamline your go-to-market process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n What would traditionally take months or even\nyears to be market-ready can be cut down to days or weeks with on-demand 3D\nprinting including for bulk orders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Many products on the market today can be\nupdated to keep up with new capabilities or new user needs. Think about\nsmartphones and other regularly-updated products — these take the best of an\nestablished design and continue to build it into something better, often in\nresponse to user demand. This process is made all the easier with digital\ndesigns.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Rapid prototyping isn\u2019t just for the\nprototyping stage; iterating to update for future designs can be done at any\ntime. This is one of the key benefits to working with a digital manufacturing\ntechnology like 3D printing. Your next-generation update — complete with\naccess to bulk production — is just an updated design file away!<\/p>\n\n\n\n As popular wisdom holds that \u201cshow, don\u2019t\ntell\u201d is the best way to prove a point, we\u2019d like to share an example of\ncustomer work achieved through the Shapeways platform.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Voytek Medical<\/a> offers a service often sought-after in the medical field, though perhaps not discussed very often. The company develops products that lock patient cables to appropriate bedside or roll stand monitors, ensuring the safe performance of untangled cables — without potentially voiding warranties or needing to modify the equipment itself. These carefully designed products benefit from being 3D printed as they can be designed to keep up with market feedback and needs, all without the increased overhead costs inherent in injection molding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cVoytek has always been\na big proponent of desktop 3D printing, it has its benefits and limitations.\nDesktop 3D printing is great for prototyping and making changes on the fly and\ntesting different designs. What the technology begins to fall short is in the\nbuild quality of the materials, and production times. I would not be able to\nfulfill orders on a desktop printer, the labor of which would sink the\nturnaround time. Shapeways allows me to get large batch orders quickly and\nwithout cosmetic or build quality flaws,\u201d Voytek explains.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Working with Shapeways\u2019\nbulk 3D printing offering, the company experienced professional solutions at\nnecessary volumes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Please contact us today to learn more about our bulk 3D printing service<\/a> and how we can help you every step of the way for your next project.<\/p>\n\n\n\nUpfront costs<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Volume<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Model complexity<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Material<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Time to market<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Future iterations<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Customer\nexample<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"Voytek](\"https:\/\/www.shapeways.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/DSC_0519-1120x747.jpg\")
Voytek Medical<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
![\"learn](\"https:\/\/www.shapeways.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/learn-more_.png\")
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