3D printing technology impact mould manufacturing

3D printing will revolutionize manufacturing at its source, and machines will replace every key link from molds, parts, semi-finished products to finished products. Labor, equipment investment, worker skills and production line management related to traditional manufacturing will be subverted.

Industry experts say the low price has driven the rapid spread of 3D printers. These cheap 3D printers cannot completely replace traditional manufacturing processes such as injection molding. However, experts say, as no one can predict 1450 Gutenberg lead movable type, the steam engine in 1750, the impact of the presence of the transistor in 1950, the lasting impact of 3 d printer is yet to be evaluated. There is no doubt that it will stretch the limits of industrial imagination. In the future, 3D printers will fight alongside and even replace traditional manufacturing equipment such as milling machines, casting machines and injection molding machines. With the increase of the output rate of printing, the future employment demand will also be greatly reduced.

This is not alarmist. Shapeways, a 3D printing company, has been able to create seamless mosaics using nylon 12 direct printing. This is just the beginning. In the future, any kind of clothes will be made by digital technology without manual or sewing machines. The biggest advantage of 3D printing is that increasing the number of machines will increase the production capacity. And machines are a one-time investment, with only the electricity bill taken into account. A traditional injection line requires at least five to six workers to operate, while a technician can manage dozens of fully automated production equipment.

The bigger disruption is in flexible supply chains. In the traditional manufacturing model, when the customer proposes the production demand, the mass production shall be carried out after the production quantity of each batch is determined according to the market expectation. Once the factory is in operation, the production line will not stop even if the supply exceeds the demand or the demand exceeds the supply. 3D printing can print experimental products and make decisions based on market feedback.

In the future, 3D printing will reduce the status of some traditional manufacturing centers. For example, the advantage of shenzhen mobile phone industry lies in the efficient supply chain system, and the upstream and downstream can clearly grasp the market trend. Adjust the production strategy once the product is out of stock or hot. In the age of 3D manufacturing, none of this matters. 3D printing can be switched on and off at any time. Whether the factory is located in shenzhen or the United States, it can get enough capacity and response speed. Human cost and skill level are negligible.