For many of you who are unfamiliar with this technology, 3D printing also known as additive manufacturing is a process using of making three dimensional solid objects from a digital file layer-by-layer. Not too long ago, 3D printers were only used to develop prototypes for testing at a significantly lower cost and less time. But with the advancement of technology, they are used for building a diverse range of products with exceptional precision. Till now, this technology is used to build prototypes, toys, sanitary items, boots, statues, bones, architectural models, boats, jewelry, a house, and many more amazing items.
There are so many benefits of 3D printers, right? But they also come with some drawbacks. So, we are here with the pros and cons of 3D printers to help you understand in which areas they are successful and where they still lack.
Let’s start with the benefits of 3D printers.
3D Printer Benefits
The benefits of 3D printers are much more than you think. Let’s see some of their top benefits here.
Avoid Wastage (Use Less Resources)
A 3D printer uses almost the exact amount of materials required to create an item. Unlike traditional machining which cuts away material to create one that results in wasting material with each part manufactured.
Make Customized Products
One of the major benefits of 3D printing technology is that you can make customized products. As you are not chasing economies of scale, creating a single customized object to fit specific customer needs is no more a dream.
Traditional manufacturing methods are exceptional in creating hundreds of copies of the same thing so monotony in designs is pretty common. While 3D printing gives designers the freedom to design creative models with endless customizations, making it easier to indulge in personal touches that the customers request.
Most of the limitations of additive manufacturing revolve around how to efficiently create a print to reduce support dependency. So, the designers are free to create models and even that need complex structures.
Save Time And Reduce Product Development Costs
Do you know cycles of prototyping eat up a lot of time and money? The prototypes that don’t work are useless and the efforts made to create them become sunk costs. By using 3D printing technology, businesses can develop models and options for testing faster and at a lower cost. It is a revolutionary technology for research and development departments of businesses due to its faster time and lower cost of development.
Saves Cost
With a 3D printer, the cost of labor is low. Labor costs have a major role in deciding the amount of money to be used in creating a framework. These costs are very high when dealing with conventional manufacturing.
Saves Time
3D printing is much quicker and easier than conventional methods of manufacturing. From the blueprint state to the final product, you can use 3D printing to incorporate ideas and designs quickly. Complicated designs can be taken from a CAD model and can be used for printing. And guess what, it takes just a few hours for the process to complete.
Simplify Production Processes
When we talk about traditional manufacturing, it is often a multi-step process that uses many machines and devices. However, a 3D printer (one machine) does it all. There are no assembly lines involved in this technology, unlike other manufacturing technologies.
Get Instant Repair
Well! It is a major benefit for businesses using other machinery for manufacturing. Imagine how much time it takes to repair a machine or replace its part which is not available in Pakistan. Importing the part can take a lot of time in the country. A 3D printer can develop the exact part in no time compared to importing one.
3D printing technology can make your business more self-sufficient. Without outsourcing these business processes, the profitability of a company may also increase.
Better Quality of Objects
One of the biggest hurdles for designers is how to develop objects as systematically as possible. The 3D printing process is so efficient as it doesn’t require any interaction of the machine operator during the build phase minimizing the chances of errors. It takes only a couple of hours to get the results once the CAD design is finalized and uploaded to the machine.
The designer achieves full control over the final product as the machine produces a part in just one step, thus reducing the dependence on various manufacturing processes like welding, painting, etc.
Drawbacks of 3D Printers
Here are the drawbacks of 3D printing technology.
Size Constraint
It is one of the major drawbacks of 3D printers. With this technology, you can easily develop small to medium products but not bigger ones. It is because these printers have small to medium chambers which can only build limited-size items. However, they can build parts that can be used to make larger items outside their chambers.
Limited Materials
We know that 3D printers can build items with plastic as well as metals. But the availability of materials in this regard is limited. 3D printers cannot use every metal or plastic-type to build items. Also, these materials are mostly not biodegradable. Most of them aren’t even food safe. So, the products you can make with this technology are also limited.
Development of Dangerous Items
As we know that designers can precisely make most of the things they design with 3D printing technology. It means, this technology can help criminals build dangerous items like guns, knives, explosives, etc. It can be among the major cons of this technology.
Slow Speed: A Hurdle in Large-Scale Production
You must be confused that earlier, we talked about how 3D printers save time and now, their low speed has become a drawback. Well, they save time in the development of prototypes. But when we talk about large-scale production, they take much more time than other manufacturing technologies. To manufacture specific products, they even take hours to build 1 item. At the same time, other technologies can manufacture large quantities of the same product. So, large-scale production is not a good idea with 3D printers for now. But it can vary depending upon the product type.
Questionable Product Tolerance / Strength
A 3D printer creates layers to form an object. This structure made of layers is not as strong as the product structure made of other manufacturing technologies. solidity and decreases the quality of the finished product. However, this technology is evolving and may provide more durable products in the future.
Conclusion
Just like any other technology, 3D printing technology has its pros and cons. Learning about both will help you understand why to choose them and why not. Regardless of the cons, this technology continues to grow as people are seeing potential. Making its way to the future of development. For now, the decision to buy a 3d printer is up to you as we have shown the benefits as well as drawbacks of this technology.
What are your thoughts on 3D printing technology? What would you print with a 3D printer if you have one? Tell us in the comment section below.
You may also like:
Download the OLX App Now! | |
 |  |
Photos Credits: pixabay.com
Leave a Reply