5 ways 3D printing is having control on manufacturing

The manufacturing industry is going through massive changes over the past few decades. New technologies are being introduced in the industry for a long time but nothing became as happening as 3D printing production. Despite being in its infancy still, this has proved its inevitability in the industry. This has become the preferred choice of the makers. Commercial application has so far been restricted to prototyping but 3D printing production has revolutionized things completely.
Production of end-use parts in the manufacturing industry is growing rapidly after the appearance of 3D print production. According to a PWC survey, 11% of the companies have already opted for 3D printed products. The use of this method has dropped the production cost substantially and the duration of manufacturing has also reduced.

Here we will be talking about the 5 most prevalent use of 3D printing production in the manufacturing industry.

# 1. Quick prototyping: 3D printing process has been there in the manufacturing industry for the last two decades. The initial use was to create replicas of new design. This has ultimately quickened the prototyping process. In earlier days, it used to take weeks for the delivery of a single piece. But the situation has changed today with the help of rapid prototyping and obviously global shipping companies. You can even expect same-day production as well. With the earlier prototyping method, it used to take months but now the companies have been able to save lots of time and money with 3D printing.

#2. Rapid design time: This printing method has quickened the iteration process. In earlier days if engineers had to create a new mold to test an engine, it would take nearly 6 months or so. And the cost was also more than thousands of dollars. But now companies like Ford are 3D printing these molds within 4 days only. And would you like to know the price? It is only $4000. This massive reduction in the cost and production time has benefited the small companies to a large extent.    

#3. Reduction in the production cost: On an average, the companies had to spend a lot of money in the creation of molds and tooling for the testing purpose before single end use. The cost was OK for the companies producing millions of parts but the idea was daunting for the small companies. But with 3D printing prototyping, even the small companies can survive the tough competition.

#4. Customization:  3D printing has brought the option of customization. Until a few years back, if you needed to replace your knee, you would have only 5 options. But now, in such cases, your knee is scanned first and then a perfect replica is designed for you. This is what is called customization.   

#5. On demand manufacture: Manufacturing companies are creating multi-year supply of spare parts. They are producing parts in large quantities that can meet the demand for the next ten years or so. But managing the parts for such a long time is not an easy job. Factors like production capital, shrinkage, obsolescence, warehousing cost, insurance cost are there. So, it is simply ideal to print the products on demand. But with 3D printing production, it is possible to make what you need, when you need.