Low-volume manufacturing

SMALL SERIES. COMPLEX GEOMETRIES. FLEXIBILITY. NO TOOLS NEEDED.

In recent years 3D printing technologies and materials have made considerable advancements and are now ready to be used in the manufacturing of final products. With 3D printing, products are made directly from 3D CAD models and no investment in tools is needed. For this reason, 3D printing is a great technology for low-volume manufacturing, complex geometries, personalised items and all products which are, or will be, subject to changes.

Additive Manufacturing, which is a standardised term for 3D printing assisted manufacturing processes, has many benefits over traditional manufacturing techniques. Its main advantages are:

• no tooling investment, no setup, no tool testing, no part sampling
• fast on-demand manufacturing – no stock needed
• changes at no extra cost
• enables manufacturing of complex geometries, since the structural design is tailored to the function of the part rather than the manufacturing technology used
• parts have the mechanical properties of injection-moulded parts