The rise of 3D Printing to the forefront of manufacturing in recent years has projected that the Additive Manufacturing technology will take over all processes on the factory floor. While we use our advanced high resolution 3D Systems Corporation ProJet 3000 Plus for many jobs, there are times when laser micromachining, CNC micro hole drilling, or other tools make more sense and in some cases are faster and more economical.
So when is 3D Printing the right digital fabrication tool for the job? In our decades of experience we find 3D Printing makes sense:
- When the part involves complex geometries that cannot be machined
- If there is the need for mass customization or small production runs with frequent design changes
- For rapid prototyping
Otherwise we find 3D Printing is not yet the tool of choice for every job. Perhaps one day 3D Printing will be the basis of a Star Trek-type Replicator that can make anything, but that’s decades off. For now, we integrate 3D Printing into our capabilities offerings to give our customers the best result. Sometimes that may even involve integrating 3D Printing and another method on the same part. But at Potomac we have the experience to know when to use 3D Printing and when to choose another tool…and we have these all under one roof!
The next few blog posts will describe case studies of the 3D Printing scenarios described above. Keep an eye on this space or subscribe to the Blog to get an email alert when we post new information.
