Pros and Cons of Additive Design for Manufacturing Prototypes and Inventions

Pros and Cons of Additive Design for Manufacturing Prototypes and Inventions

It has been more than a decade since the 3D printer became commercially available for the first time. It’s been over three decades since 3D Systems sold its first industrial 3D printer. And the world of additive manufacturing continues to amaze.

At its most basic, additive manufacturing (another name for 3D printing) is a manufacturing process in which a three-dimensional object is built by adding a material layer-by-layer until the object is complete. This method contrasts with the subtractive manufacturing technique in which material is drilled, cut, milled, carved, or machined off.

Although there can be differences in terms of materials and methods, all 3D printers generally work the same way—they turn digital files into physical objects. The digital files must contain three-dimensional data created by design for additive manufacturing experts, whether created using CAD software or generated from a 3D scanner.

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3D printing is the logical step up from traditional printing, in which ink is applied to paper to produce images, photos, and written documents from digital files. What 3D printing does is take the two-dimensional approach and replace it with a much more advanced technique. Rather than using paper, a 3D printer lays down a plastic or metal material to build a physical object.

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The most common material for 3D printing is plastic filament—thermoplastic precisely due to the material’s behavior when exposed to heat (soft when heated and hard when cooled). Powdered metal is also used, but it requires a controlled environment and high-power lasers, so it’s not typically seen outside industrial manufacturing. Thermoplastic is often good enough if you’re printing a prototype or are in the early phases of a new invention design.

In addition to prototyping, 3D printing is widely used in the fashion, automotive, construction, and medical industries. For a lot of everyday inventors out there, 3D printing is a giant leap in the world of prototyping. It enables them to quickly manufacture a tangible, functional product concept without breaking the bank. They don’t even need help from factory partners or any manufacturing facility to build a prototype.

For the more established companies, 3D printing allows them to experiment with many different shapes and designs of a product (or product parts) in a much more cost-efficient and time-saving manner compared to other manufacturing methods, such as injection molding and CNC programming and machining.

How It Works

Creating a physical object using a 3D printer is a multi-step process:

  1. The first step is to transform ideas into a 3D model using CAD or CAM software. The 3D model has to be exactly like the intended object with the correct details, including dimension and texture.
  2. Once drawn and saved on a computer, the digital file must be converted into a format that a 3D printer can read. The most common file format is STL, compatible with most (if not all) 3D printer brands and models out there. Some people use OBJ, the second-most widely used file type, especially for multi-color printing. Other file formats include AMF and 3MF.
  3. A 3D printer then reads the file and divides it into multiple layers. It lays down the material one layer at a time in accordance with the information stored in the digital file to form the final object.

The object can be removed from the 3D printer once completed for further finishing if need be, like sanding and painting. As long as an object can be drawn using CAD services, a 3D printer can build it, albeit with some limitations such as size and materials. Since 3D printers are now commercially-available, inventors can experiment with their own designs and product ideas without leaving home.

Advantages of 3D Printing for Prototyping and Inventions

Whether you’re an individual inventor or start-up company, 3D printing comes with myriad benefits for prototyping. The process of creating a physical product was quite cumbersome in the past. After creating the 3D model, you had to look for a prototyping agency to build a tangible object. It costs money, and it could take quite a while until the product becomes ready for a test run. The problem was that the first sample of the product might reveal design errors.

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With a 3D printer sitting ready in your office, a prototype can be ready in a matter of hours, depending on the complexity of the design. Other advantages of rapid prototyping services are:

Falling Cost of Entry

Some of the entry-level 3D printers from known brands can be as low as several hundred dollars, if not less. Of course, you can get one at a much higher price for better quality, but for everyday inventors looking to build their first product prototypes, any 3D printer costing under a thousand should be more than sufficient. Remember, you also have to purchase affordable materials.

More Affordable Prototyping Process

Apart from the falling cost of 3D printers, the actual prototyping process itself becomes much cheaper as well. Just the initial cost of the CNC setup can be too much for most, but that’s not the case with 3D printing.

The savings also come from how prototyping happens at a much quicker pace, as does the test run. In case some parts need to be adjusted, you can use the CAD software on your computer to make the changes easily. There is no external company or agency involved, which means more savings.

Full Control Over Design

In situations where you must work with the external fabricator or prototyping design engineering company, you have very little bargaining power in terms of design. When the agency asks for design changes to accommodate the availability of materials or manufacturing techniques, sometimes you have no option but to agree; otherwise, your idea may not get created at all.

Having an in-house prototyping machine gives you full control over the design. In times when the first prototype fails to meet the intended specification, you decide which parts need changes and how to change them.

Immediate Revisions

There is no need to go back and forth with external fabricators to confirm mistakes and approve changes. One of the biggest selling points of a 3D printer is that it gives the owner the full ability to build and revise a prototype as soon as possible anytime necessary. A 3D printer frees you from the constraints of a traditional R&D environment.

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Then there is the significantly reduced lead time. Working a traditional manufacturer can take quite a while, even after you submit the digital file to them. The manufacturer may need to fine-tune their process and make some other adjustments to cater to your specific prototype.

With a 3D printer, the prototype building process can begin immediately after the digital model is ready. You don’t have to wait for shipping either. The 3D printer is right there in your home, and you can pick up the finished object as soon as it is complete.

Bear in mind that we’re talking strictly about building prototypes, not large-scale production. For the latter, plastic injection molding and casting services are a much better option in terms of speed and ROI.

What about the Disadvantages?

Just like every manufacturing technique available today, each is best used for its intended purpose. For example, 3D printing is suitable for prototyping and building product ideas, but it’s a lousy choice for high-volume production runs (in the range of thousands and more).

Although even an affordable consumer-grade 3D printer can probably build a complex object, it may take hours to get the job done. Other disadvantages (for prototyping purpose) may include:

Build Size Restriction

A consumer-grade 3D printer has a relatively small build chamber (the box or space where the object is being printed). In under a thousand-dollar range, very few can give you a build volume of more than 300 x 300 x 400 mm.

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It’s about the same size as a relatively large bookshelf speaker, so it really is not too bad for prototyping design services. You can build a lot of different prototypes smaller than that without sacrificing details. In the event you need to create a more significant prototype, you can print it in parts.

Post-Processing

Finished objects may need some refinement, such as cleaning (removing excess material) and sanding for a smooth surface. The amount of post-processing depends on various factors, such as the intended application of the prototype, the 3D printing technology employed, and the size of the parts. Common post-processing methods include chemical soaks, air drying, heat drying, and water-jet. While the prototype creation is relatively quick, the overall process can be slowed down a bit by post-processing.

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And now the most obvious drawback: limitation of materials. Most 3D printed objects are built from a single material extruded by the printer’s nozzle. The finished object gradually hardens and becomes rigid enough to hold without breaking apart. This means the best material to use is thermoplastic, just like in the case of injection molding.

When using a 3D printer, you will mostly work with filament made from some sort of plastic. Apart from plastic, there are also carbon fiber and other interesting substances such as glow-in-the-dark, color-changing material, and clay. As it stands today, your choice of materials are still quite limited for 3D printing. If your prototype has to be made of metal alloy or wood, you are out of luck.

Cad Crowd’s Additive Designers are at Your Disposal

At Cad Crowd, we have the privilege of working with some of the best additive manufacturing designers in the world. Our network of professionals has created epic 3D models and product designs for company’s like Tiffany & Co. Find out how it works.