In the current manufacturing set-up, a lot of companies are offering additive manufacturing processes which can be quite overwhelming especially if you are a beginner. Using the right 3D printing service that will cater to all of your production needs and preference is very important.
Now, the all-important question becomes; How do you choose the right 3D printing service? Which criteria should you use and take into account? In this post, we are going to delve in a little bit deeper and choose which is the best option for you and provide you with excellent tips.
Why do you need to choose a 3D printing service?
First, we will tackle what is 3D printing service and why you need to choose one. For those who want to use 3D printing, you have two options; you can purchase a 3D printer or use a 3D printing service to create your parts and products.
The second option is the most affordable and economic one, let look at it this way. Purchase a whole 3D printing machine such as Direct Metal Laser, Selective Laser Sintering 3D printers (or SLS 3D printers), and Sintering 3D printers (DMLS 3D printers) to create excellent parts and products is actually quite expensive. On the other hand, desktop 3D printers using Fused Deposition Modeling is not necessarily the best option as it’s not flexible to accommodate all of your design needs.
So, when it comes to choosing the best 3D printing service, you need to go with the one that it’s the right fit for you and the one you are comfortable working with. Here are some of the selection criteria that you should take into account before making the final decision.
Technology and material available
Every printing material have their own traits and properties, for some they might be excellent for mechanical properties but for others, they are best for artistic and design purposes. Having multiple choices will enable you to print parts/products that cater to and matches all of your needs.
Always go with the material that is cost-effective making the whole production process economical and affordable. Additionally, you also want to use a specific 3D printing material, like for instance for jewelers; you need to go with a printing service that has a wide range of precious metals.
3D printed chairs*
Design assistance
Using a 3D printing service is actually quite simple and straightforward, but here are some few things that you should know. For 3D orienting to be done, you need a 3D model of the object you want to be printed. A 3D model basically is a three-dimensional representation of a part or product created using 3D modeling software.
Using these programs can be quite hard at first, but to make things easier some 3D modeling programs offer training and services assisting you to get a high-quality 3D model for your project.
There are also some 3D printing services that provide you with tools allowing you to optimize your design without help from 3D professional designers. By doing this, you’ll be not only reducing the overall manufacturing cost but also improving the quality of your 3D printed parts.
Reference
*Image from https://www.3dnatives.com/