You’re trying to cut costs in your manufacturing process. How can you get the most out of 3D printing?

Optimize designs for efficient printing. Select cost-effective printing materials. Embrace print-on-demand to reduce inventory costs. Batch print to optimize printer efficiency. Use 3D printing for in-house tooling. Apply lightweighting techniques to save on materials. Streamline post-processing workflows. Conduct life cycle cost analysis for informed decisions. Pursue continuous improvement in printing processes. Explore collaborative partnerships for expertise and resources.

If you truly wish to cut costs with 3D printing, I believe it starts with the printer of your choosing. If you find yourself technically inclined, or an open attitude to learn, you can cut costs easily. A printer that will be useful to you will allow you to change parameters for your manufacturing process. While "plug and play" is fantastic, it may have a higher price point, and may not allow you to change parameters as needed. Changing parameters freely is vital if you wish to cut costs. You will be able to adapt newer materials on the market that may be superb in quality, with the added benefit of a lower cost.

Become familiar with your material and seek individuals or Facebook groups where you can find reviews on materials. Do not be too quick to jump on a new resin as the first version is usually still in its "beta" phase of testing. Do not be scared to try something new either though, it is always good to keep a "inferior" resin/material for prototyping without using your preferred/more expensive material.

Material choice can significantly impact both cost and print quality. Evaluate materials not only for their cost but also for their suitability for the intended application. Using less expensive materials where possible can reduce overall costs.For instance, standard PLA is generally more affordable and suitable for basic prototypes, while specialized materials like Nylon or resin can be used for functional parts but may increase costs. The key is to use more cost-effective materials like PLA or PETG where high performance is not critical.

Optimising the design in ways that can reduce the amount of support material, infill density can significantly reduce the amount of material consumed during the printing process, which significantly reduces the cost for printing. I usually find these methods helpful for my designs. - Increase fillets near any overhanging structures (Without affecting the functionality & aesthetics of course) - Position & align the object in the slicing software to consume the least support material - Choose an infill density and pattern that wouldn't affect the structural integrity but reduce the material consumption. You have to find the sweet spot without compromising either of them. There are other methods of course. I just found these useful for me.

Optimizing the design is a great solution to cut costs in the manufacturing process. Some parts of an assembly can be merged (Using 3D modeling) and printed as one part thanks to the flexibility of 3DP for complex shapes, avoiding the usage of screws, press fitting and other assembling methods that require additional components, tools and manufacturing time. The individual parts design can be optimized by applying fillets, thru or partial holes and other cuts on areas where the parts functionality will not be compromised, reducing the material quantity and in most of the cases, the printing time. Trying different printing qualities, orientations and infill rates, can also help to decrease the material consumption for the parts and supports.

Getting a good 3D printer and other fancy equipment doesn't ensure best quality prints! Try to segregate jobs based on the type of part, it's application, load impact on it, material type, complexity, etc. Fine-tune the printer settings to give seamless prints without any defects and issues. Start with basic settings and slowly proceed with manipulating advanced settings. Some of the major parameters to be taken care of are: Layer height, walls and/or perimeters, infill percentage, enabling supports if necessary, orientation for least supports, and solid layers.

One thing which could help you is to reduce the amount of supports for the model. The orientation of your model on the bed can affect the amount of used material for supports (also reduces the time) as well as the final appearance of the product. On the other hand, multiplying model on the bed could help you to use your machine 24 hours a day. But it needs to be sure about the quality of the final product.

Fine-tune your printer settings for the best balance between speed, quality, and material usage. Parameters like layer height, infill density, and print speed can all impact the amount of material used and the time taken to print.For instance, increasing the layer height on a Prusa i3 MK3S can speed up printing for less detail-critical parts, reducing time and material usage.

3D printing is great for cutting waste and costs by only using what's needed. But we can go further. We should aim to minimize waste even more by tweaking designs to use less material or reusing failed prints for new projects. It's all about being efficient and eco-friendly."

Implementing strategies to minimize waste can lead to significant cost savings. Collect and recycle scrap material if possible. In some printing processes, like with certain types of SLS printers, unused powder can be reused in future prints. In SLS printing, for example, unused nylon powder can often be reused, reducing material waste. Collecting and recycling support material or failed prints in FDM printing can also contribute to cost savings.

Using Generative design to optimize part strength in the directions of loading can significantly reduce the overall quantity of plastic required to produce each part. Designing parts which can print with no or minimal support can further reduce this wastage.

Online learning is extremely useful in learning how to more fully utilize a 3d printer. However, those seeking to improve their knowledge should consider owning a 3D printer (Specifically buying a non functional printer and repairing it) This will give hands on knowledge and understanding of both the printer itself and the process of debugging which is often undertaken when you experience part failures. This can also be beneficial in allowing you to apply knowledge directly (and means that you won't get stuck watching videos about problems which you will never encounter)

Leveraging the experience of others is invaluable in optimizing 3D printing costs. AddiMap facilitates this by connecting you with a community of experts and peers. Through its platform, you can access a wealth of shared knowledge of optimized process parameters and validated material data. This collaborative environment not only accelerates your learning curve but also inspires innovation and problem-solving.

Here are some points on how 3DP helps cut costs in the overall manufacturing cycle. 3D Printing reduces product development lead times with rapid prototyping. It utilizes iterative design capabilities for cost-effective refinements. Eliminates initial investments in tools and moulds. Additive manufacturing accelerates time-to-market and enhances overall efficiency. Also, you can leverage 3D printing for low-volume production to test market response.

To cut costs in 3D printing for manufacturing, optimize material use, explore batch printing, and adjust layer thickness. Embrace additive manufacturing design principles, minimize support structures. Invest in expertise, evaluate total ownership costs, and explore alternative 3D printing technologies. Automate post-processing and prioritize energy-efficient practices. Regularly reassess strategies based on emerging technologies and specific needs.

It is important to also consider the importance and value of time in your manufacturing, especially given that 3D printing is a relatively time intensive manufacturing process. Would getting more parts made in a shorter time span increase your earnings i.e. do you have a high enough demand for your product? Then it may be necessary to purchase additional printers that can run simultaneously (a short-term cost) which in the long-term may financially prove to be considerably more beneficial to you. An additional advantage of having multiple printers running instead of one is that you also eliminate some of the time spent cleaning and setting up between each of your prints, hence potentially reducing the cost of your labour.