3D PRINTING SERVICES FOR THE MANUFACTURING INDUSTRY

3D PRINTING SERVICES FOR THE MANUFACTURING INDUSTRY makenica.com/3d-printing-services-for-the-manufacturing-industry

It is quite fantasizing how the world is progressing towards the next level of manufacturing techniques. Starting from the conventional manufacturing techniques, we have progressed towards additive manufacturing and subtractive manufacturing, which is currently ruling the manufacturing sector. What has caught the eyes of manufacturers is the usage of additive manufacturing techniques for part manufacturing.

Additive manufacturing has certainly hit the ground running in terms of high volume production in large and medium scale industries. Commercialized 3D printers have indeed expanded the horizons of manufacturing to even small scale industries. The usage of 3D printers in industrial manufacturing has certainly made greater progress towards smart and efficient manufacturing.

The evolution of 3D printers and printing techniques has indeed made manufacturing easy and have cut down massive amounts of production costs that are used for conventional manufacturing. As days progress, we are introduced to different and new 3D printing technologies that question the ways of manufacturing. 3D printing has become a manufacturing tool that can be done anywhere and anytime, putting an end to time and structure-oriented manufacturing.

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However, there are several questions raised on whether 3D printed parts are mechanically strong enough to withstand adverse conditions. This has been quite a debatable topic until the invention of metal 3D printers. Metal 3D printers have certainly created a foot stamp for 3D printers as a mode of mass production. As 3D printing industries continue to grow, there have been several calls for 3D printing services at affordable rates. Ever since the commercialization of 3D printers, there has been a massive rise in the printing service sector.

Now that desktop-scale printers such as FDM printers may have gotten pretty affordable, you require something more than those when you’re opting for high-performance models.

High-performance models are parts that are used for commercial manufacturing purposes, that require a high amount of mechanical strength. Production of these models often requires a high amount of investment in terms of machinery.

For manufacturers, who aren’t as financially sound as multinational organizations, a cheaper and a better alternative would be getting your 3D printing done by service people.

This gargantuan rise of the printing services industry has helped the development of small and medium-scale manufacturing companies to thrive in a constrained economy. These are exactly what 3D printing services offer. Before we understand more about printing services, let us know something about what to expect from printing services.

What to expect out of printing services?

Manufacturers often have a double-minded approach when it comes down to outsourcing their models for 3D printing. As an upcoming manufacturer, you need to understand the financial aspects and find a suitable solution to get your model done.

It is no wrong to have some expectations, before opting for the right 3D printing services. Printing services often have their own set of experts on the field who can guide you in terms of enhancing the model and the part as a whole. They’re literally like on stop services, who have all the state-of-the-art printing technologies with them.

Often the prices for these professional services might seem to be overboard for some, but it is certainly worth every penny you invest in them. But it is always advisable to remain cautious and jot down what you require out of them, before even approaching one. There is plenty of 3D printer servicing and you need to have some expectations from them. Let’s find out some of the basic things you need to consider before you go for outsourcing.

Technology Strength: You would expect an outsourcing agency to boast of its technological strength that might sometimes match up to your expectations. As a manufacturer, you need to decide upon what’s the best thing for your model before approaching outsourcing. It is a tad obvious that we might opt to go to service centers that possess a wide range of printing technology, that can indeed change our minds for the better.

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While some printing services opt for a specialized approach in one or two printing technology, the majority of the service providers offer a wider variety of printing mechanisms at one stop. You need to have a brainstorming session with the concerned technicians before opting for the services. It all boils down to your model and the production rate.

If your production rate is higher, it is advised to approach firms that offer a variety of printing technologies. However, if your demand is low and not comparatively higher, you can opt for specialized services. Specialized services in one or two printing technologies sometimes offer a broadened scope of model perfection.

Material diversity: Print material is something that should be decided on a careful analysis of your model.

You need to analyze its mechanical strength, chemical strength, static and dynamic analysis to fix on a particular material. When it comes to the active participation of the part in printing, you should consider the stress analysis also. As a manufacturer, you would look for an outsourcing organization that offers you a variety of choices.

Printing service organizations always look forward to offering their customers a wide range of options. But not all organizations are to be trusted in terms of providing highquality material though they boast of their diversity. This takes us to the next point we need to look forward to, Total lead time.

Total Lead time : Lead time heavily depends upon the model and the rate at which you want your model to be processed. It is something that can be estimated by the slicing software, but you would generally want your outsourcing person to be punctual in terms of delivery. As a manufacturer, you should expect your printing service client to quote the exact lead time for manufacturing the part.

Have a better idea about your design before approaching any outsourcing agent. Talk with the experts and get a rough estimation of the lead time. Never trust spoken data rather ask for transparency in this regard. You need your service agent to be as transparent as he can in this aspect.

Pricing: Here comes the hardest part. You need to understand the ethics of comparative study before getting aboard with one printing service agent. Pricing varies from one organization to another and has several aspects that contribute to this division. Generally, pricing of the print depends upon factors such as material quality, total machine run time, the density of the build, and the overall mass of the model.

Get quotations from multiple outsourcing agents and compare their services against their pricing rates. Generally, you will expect your pricing to be nominal to the services offered, and it is essential to keep in mind the same. Cheap pricing can’t always guarantee you 3/5

quality.

Feasibility and Trustworthy : Generally, you would want your agent to be located in a feasible location if you're into bulk manufacturing. In this aspect, the focus is provided much on the quality of the service provided by the service agent. You get to collect information either via surfing or doing some on ground questionnaires. You expect your agent to be updated with state-ofthe-art technology and have some quality technicians who can guide you through the process.

The feasibility factor may be overstressed here. It has become more of a narrow concern since the introduction of online printing services. Yes, if you’re relatively new, several service agents offer 3D printing online. Look upon what the others in the industry have said about the services offered, and compare them with your preference. There is no wrong in opting for online services, as they are beginning to dominate the servicing markets.

Online 3D printing services: It doesn’t come as a surprise as you have many online service agents for 3D printing. As we move closer towards the customer reachability market, online services have certainly taken over the market. Let us decipher how online printing services have captured the eyes of the manufacturers.

Statistically, the online 3D printing market has more demand than conventional 3D printing outsourcing. Though North America leads the charge by having over 49.4% of online 3D printing demand, Asia-pacific regions have also started to show up some positive numbers.

Online 3D printing services are indeed a major boost for both the 3D printing industry and the manufacturing sector who are intertwined in a symbiotic relationship. Globally, SME manufacturers are the leading users of online 3d printing services. More than75% of the SEMs prefer online services, owing to their remote and inaccessible locations. SMEs won’t have any designated person for sourcing, rather they go for a global level hunt.

3D printing online has offered engineers and manufacturers to get access to top quality servicemen across the country. You get to know about their services via the internet.

SMEs prefer online 3D printing due to their low demand. Online 3D printing services sometimes may consume quite an amount of time in terms of shipment, however, it doesn’t apply to the trustable ones. Wait, so how do I trust one over the internet?

Online 3D printing services work just like your online shopping. Here experienced technicians connected over to you in line for QA sessions and will remotely help you to get your desired model. Another advantage of these services is that most of the online 3D printing services often have a one-stop store on their own for 3D printer filaments and parts for commercial FDM printers.

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The most iconic aspect of online 3D printing services would be the usage of edge-based technology. Several online 3D printing platforms have designed open source, over the internet simulators to find out their model thickness, print weight, and pricing at the same time. This gives more idea about how your model is priced for printing and how you can expect your final print to be.

3D Printing Service in India: Asia-Pacific regions have started to show promising signs in terms of 3D printer deployment in the manufacturing sector. As a developing economy, India is taken by a storm wave of startup companies focused on 3D printing outsourcing. Several automobile, pharma, machine production companies, etc., have started to use 3D printed parts for their products, and these outsourcing agents have come in handy for the big boys.

India’s 3D printing market is projected to grow around 30% in the following years to come. Several industries have started to use FDM, SLA, and SLS printing technology, which has paved the way for indigenous 3D printer manufacturers to enter the market.

Stats reveal that FDM printers are the majorly used 3D printing technology in India, due to their affordability and ease of use. Ever since India established itself as one of the startup hubs in the world, several manufacturing startups have jumped to 3D printing technology to cater to their requirements.

Under Atal's mission, not only the manufacturing sector but also the printer prediction and service sector has also thrived to unimaginable extents. The introduction of additive manufacturing in curriculums have further encouraged the usage of 3D printing technology for miniature projects and part production. It is highly questionable whether Indian manufacturers use SLA or SLS printers for manufacturing. Owing to the needs of advanced 3D printing technology, several 3D printing service centers have been established in the country.

With the massive rise in the 3D printing demands, you can find several 3D printing services in Chennai, Hyderabad, Delhi, Kolkata, Bangalore, and other major metropolitan cities in the country, owing to the demand for outsourcing. Major metropolitan cities have a fair share of overall production. The interesting part here is that these organizations also offer online-based services to companies that are beyond the scope of reach, thus connecting the entire country into the 3D printing hub.

We are soon progressing towards the era where additive manufacturing starts to take over conventional manufacturing, which has powered India in terms of industrial production.

Certainly, additive manufacturing will look to boost the production rate and will soon bridge the wide economic gap that seems to be closing down as the days progress.

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