3D printer technology is an emerging technology in the processing and manufacturing industry, and also a powerful supplement to the manufacturing means. Meanwhile, 3D printer has started or replaced the traditional manufacturing means in some manufacturing fields.

In many application fields of 3D printers, under what circumstances do enterprises need to consider the use of 3D printers? How do you choose a 3D printer?

1. It can’t be done by traditional technology

After thousands of years of development, the traditional manufacturing industry has been able to meet most of the manufacturing needs, but there are still some unmet needs. Such as super complex components, large-scale custom production, and so on. There are two very representative cases: GE additive 3D printer engine fuel nozzle, 3D printer invisible teeth.

The fuel nozzles used in the LEAP engine, for example, were originally assembled from 20 parts made by conventional machining. GE additive redesigned it, combining 20 parts into one whole. In this case, it can’t be made by traditional machining methods, but 3D printer can make it perfect. It also offers a range of benefits, including a 25 per cent reduction in fuel nozzle weight, a five-fold increase in life and a 30 per cent reduction in manufacturing costs. GE now produces about 40,000 fuel nozzles a year, all in metal 3D printers.

In addition, invisible braces are a typical case. Each invisible set contains dozens of braces, each with a slightly different shape. For each tooth, a different mold is covered with film, which requires a 3D photocurable printer. Because the traditional way to make a tooth mold is obviously not practical. Due to the advantages of invisible braces, they have been accepted by some young people. There are many manufacturers of invisible braces at home and abroad, and the market space is huge.

2. Traditional technology has high cost and low efficiency

There is another type of manufacturing that can be considered to use 3D printer, that is, the traditional method has high cost and low efficiency. Especially for products with small demand, the production cost of opening mold is high, and the production efficiency of not opening mold is low. Even the orders are sent to the manufacturing plant, which has to wait a long time. At this time, 3D printer shows its advantages again. Many 3D printer service providers can provide guarantees such as starting from 1 piece and 24-hour delivery, which greatly improves the efficiency. There is a saying that “3D printer is addictive”. R&d companies are gradually adopting 3D printer, and once using it, they are no longer willing to use traditional methods.

Some prescient companies have also introduced their own 3D printer , manufacturing parts, fixtures, molds and so on directly in the factory.