Short Run Production
Get Injection Molding Quality with 3D Printed Parts
If you’re looking for short run production–quality parts that include strength, function and flexibility comparable to injection molded nylon parts, you’ve come to the right place. Our years of experience and on-going research and development directly contribute to the reliability of our quality 3D printed plastic parts. Many of our customers use our SLS 3D printed parts in place of traditional injection molding manufactured ones, freeing up capital and providing greater flexibility in how they develop and sell their products.
Wonder how 3D printing stacks up to traditional short run manufacturing methods like low volume injection molding? Here are what we believe to be the top 5 advantages of 3D printing for short run production:
1. Quickly Produce Five To Five Thousand
One of the benefits to 3D printing in your short run production is that you have the flexibility to make only what you need. From five to five thousand units, this type of low-volume production could be the solution for you. As 3D printing doesn’t require expensive molds – unlike low volume injection molding– the need to manufacture thousands of parts to justify the upfront costs isn’t necessary. An added bonus is that there’s no large financial commitment towards mold tooling or warehousing of massive, unused inventory!
2. Modify As You Go
As mentioned, 3D printing doesn’t use molds, so far there’s greater flexibility to modify your short run production parts as you go without the repercussions. Changing a mold is not only expensive but also can add huge time delays. With a 3D printed SLS model, you can create a small batch, test and sell your design, and then quickly modify your CAD drawing in time for your next short run 3D printing order.
3. Create Multiple Versions At The Same Time
You can easily create many versions of the same design at the same time with the use of 3D print for short run production. By printing multiple versions at once, you can test and compare various design iterations to see which works best — all in the same day. In most cases, ordering multiples can save you money, even if each part is slightly different from one to the next. For more info about printing multiple versions simultaneously, visit our page on rapid prototyping.
4. 3D Print The Difficult To The Impossible
Our SLS nylon parts are the perfect solution if you need highly customized parts or if your design may seem impossible to manufacture. As the SLS 3D printing model process uses nylon powder to act as its own support structure while building, it is rarely a challenge to create intricate pieces or complex assemblies with this single process. Find out more about how SLS compares to FDM for complex designs in short run production.
5. Access A Stopgap Solution
Need a stopgap solution for a problem with your existing product or a long-term fix to repair old machinery with obsolete parts? It’s not uncommon for us at any given time to be creating thousands of temporary parts that are used to retrofit existing products or to replace parts for machinery that customers just can’t get their hands on any more.
Beyond the advantages of 3D printing for low volume production, there are even more reasons why customers select 3D Prototype Design, Inc. as their short run manufacturing experts of choice. Please contact us if you are interested in learning more, or have questions about using our 3D printed short run production parts for your project.
FAQs
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What do I need to make a 3D printed part?
In order to quote or make a 3D printed part, you need to have a 3D CAD file drawing created. We do not offer drawing or scanning services. If you don’t have a CAD drawing of your part you should find a mechanical engineer/design to draw your part. See what is 3d printing.