3D printing is the thing now. As confusing and over the top it might sound, people who are from that niche of work would most definitely know and understand the importance of this from the get-go. 3D printing has not just taken the manufacturing industry by storm. It is also going to have impacts on the future that we envision. But, the most impact that it has had, is on the amazing prototyping industry. With the consistently growing demands of the prototyping industry coming to a whirlwind, 3D printing has made the process a lot more streamlined, and for that matter, easier as well. Irrespective of what and which industry the prototype might be for, the impacts are absolutely quite marvelous if you do think about it yourself. Make sure that you are familiarising yourself with it for a better understanding of the same.
What is a prototype?
Before we jump into explaining the importance of 3D printing in prototypes, it is important that we familiarise ourselves with what a prototype actually is.
A prototype is, in simple words, the first model of the design that is going to be further manufactured into bigger and more similar products and designs. This is quite beneficial in handling a number of manufacturing prospects because of the fact that it gives a fair and clear idea of what the prospects will look like on a larger scale.
If you have been on a similar limbo trying to figure out the importance of 3D printing in the prototyping industry, the possibilities are actually quite extensive and endless, for that matter. Irrespective of what and which industry you belong to, having a practical demo of the ideas is always better than just running around with no strict ideas whatsoever.
Key benefits of prototyping
Before we move forth with explaining the sole benefits of the prototyping, let us focus on why you will even want to get prototypes done. This will give you a fairly better idea of the importance it holds in other prospects of manufacturing.
Understand the flaws
Much like every other big and long-term business, every possible idea has its fair share of risks. With prototyping, it does become a lot easier to get hold of the flaws at an early stage so they can be rectified before they do get to the stage of manufacturing. Once you get hold of the problems in the prototype itself, it becomes a lot easier to handle the problems in the bigger picture too.
Gather more intel
Having an overall idea of the requirements does have an impact on the cost and budget. The last thing you want is to end up indulging more in the redoing of the inadequate requirements. These are what end up affecting the overall budget and can badly make you go overboard with it. Having a prototype can change that issue.
Better chances at funding
If you are just starting out, you would be surprised by how impactful prototypes are. Explaining one idea is one thing but when you end up having a live example of what your idea is going to take shape of, it is more convincing to the investors, without a speck of doubt. It thus increases your chances of better funding from the investors. It also lessens the risks of investment for the people investing in your projects.
How does 3D printing benefit prototyping?
Given the fact that a lot of it is at stake with the prototype you are presenting to the investors, it goes without saying that you want to invest in something that would most definitely contribute a lot to your overall success of the business, prototypes; especially 3D prototypes are the way to go about with it.
If you are still stuck in a dilemma as to why it is standing out day after day, we do have a well-informed list of benefits that can come in handy for you to look into.
Design and ready to feed into the machine
The very first and the most important factor of 3D printed prototypes that do stand out is the fact that the design is completely ready and ready to be fed into the machine. With 3D printing, it becomes a lot easier to do better designs of the same which brings out lesser chances of inaccuracies in them. Prototypes are often still used as a way to test out the designs and while the process was quite effective back in the day, it was not completely foolproof as such. The same has completely changed with 3D printing. More accurate and well-designed models are now available to be fed into the machine directly without any form of limitations and that is all thanks to 3D printing.
Better if you own a 3D printer, it makes the process of manufacturing and development a lot easier for you and a lot more feasible as well. This also provides better control over the overall digital fabrication process and then adjusts and even later modifies the design if required.
Lot of materials to choose from with similar properties as expected
Next on the list of benefits is the fact that 3D printing does make the prototyping actually a lot easier is the fact that you get multiple materials to choose from. This might not necessarily seem like much but it is actually quite effective in getting the prototype done around in time using different variants of materials that not many are even aware of in the first place.
The collaboration of 3D printing with that of prototypes had actually made the whole ordeal of manufacturing as a service a lot better. This is definitely one of the primary factors that have been consistently impacting the overall outcomes that have been witnessed in the manufacturing altogether.
Topology optimized and complex geometries are easier to make
With everything aside, you’d be surprised to know that bringing an idea to life with prototypes is not a cakewalk. Not only does it require a complete lot of work, but it also does require a lot of effort and precision. Complex geometries are part of it and if you are here wondering about the whys and hows, you would most definitely know that with 3D printing, it has become a lot easier to cut down on the inaccuracies that did come with the same. 3D printing does make the topology optimization a lot easier and a lot more manageable which brings forth better results in the end. If you are here worried about how the complex geometries will look about in the final prototype, with 3D printing, it becomes a lot easier for you to understand and assess.
Multiple iterations in the same build platform
The next thing in line is the fact that 3D printing paves around way for you is the list of multiple iterations. Having multiple at one go is actually quite easy given the fact that it does reduce the waste generation altogether. The majority of the companies are now worried extremely about their carbon footprint and with the inclusion of 3D printing in prototyping, it does become a lot easier to reduce the waste and bring it to a bare minimum. If you have been around trying to reduce manufacturing waste to the minimum, this is definitely the way to go about with it. Statistics suggest that 3D printing does bring down the overall waste down by 10% which is amazing for the company as well as the environment as well. The 3D printing is now being used just for the prototypes but the same as the possibility of being extended to the comprehensive manufacturing too for a better reduction of industrial waste altogether.
Product deliverable time reduced
Yet another prospective benefit of having 3D printing with the prototype is that it cuts down the time of product deliverable. Owing to the fact that it does speed up the process of how fast the product is made and manufactured for the prototype, it is not surprising that it cuts down the time by a lot. Keeping the fact that 3D printers have the capability of printing out around 20 products at a time, it is not surprising that it does make the overall process of product delivery a lot easier. Manufacturing prototypes with the traditional model do take around a long stretch of time which is not the case with 3D printing at all. This ensures that the overall product delivery deadlines are cut out by a lot.
Given the fact that the usage of 3D printing in prototype development is still in its initial stage, it is not surprising that more and more companies are just getting the hang of it. Overall, more and more prospects are making their way around with this process and it is also making it quite simpler in the final result as well. The combination of 3D printing with prototype development is expected to see more progress in the coming years, but for now, the growth is definitely defined.
