How To Waste Your Money With 3D Printing
Nobody wants to waste their money. But it’s easy to get swept up in purchasing trends without asking why everyone wants in on them. One of 3D printing’s greatest benefits is the cost efficiency it creates by allowing the business or consumer to pay for exactly what they’re getting—the volume of a part and the labor associated with it—rather than a large upfront cost.
In short, 3D printing is awesome for the obvious reason that you can create whatever you want, quickly, and with a totally custom design. Another great reason to 3D print is if you need a low volume of custom product and you want to avoid the major upfront cost of tooling associated with traditional manufacturing. There are a lot of other reasons 3D printing is awesome, but those are the ones that drive most customers.
So here’s how could waste your money on 3D printing:
- Creating designs without any design knowledge.
Depending on what you’re making, you could totally get away with this. But there are many factors the average person could overlook, while a product designer would know which details to check. For example, you might want a product with a square hole for a square part, but you need to make the hole a little bigger than the part that will fit into it. It would be like a bunch of Legos that wouldn’t actually click together.
In addition to things like fit clearances, you can also think about the thickness and density of every product. When you’re paying for material, it’s wise to know the size and density that you really need in order to accomplish your goal, which most often is a durable part made as cost effectively as possible.
2. Hiring a company to print a very high volume of simple parts.
One advantage of 3D printing is that the technology can make what traditional manufacturing cannot, when it comes to the shape and complexity of a design. If you just need to manufacture simple products, like a bunch of plates and cups, or simple solid shapes, you’re not capitalizing on one of the technology’s most spectacular benefits. You end up paying for a lot of material.
If the parts are really small, you need them really fast, or they’re designed in such a way that traditional manufacturing couldn’t accomplish the task, 3D printing could be your best bet after all. But if cost is a factor--and it usually is--you want to make sure you don't cross the point at which the cost of 3D printing actually surpasses the cost of machining and traditional manufacturing.
- Hiring just any 3D printing company.
Some of us know what we’re doing, while others are making money on low quality products. There are several factors necessary to ensure that 3D printing technology is being used to get the best results. The same machines that make the best 3D printed products in the world can also make the worst. The person behind the technology will affect how the product comes out. Ask questions and do your research to find out which companies really know what they’re doing and have the experience to give you what you need the first time.
Happy printing!
5 of our Favorite Recent 3D Printing Projects
In recent years, 3D printing has been used to improve and even save lives around the world. It’s also been used to create some truly fascinating, though totally impractical products. The technology is just so versatile, and it’s amazing to see how designers and innovators in different industries are using it to change the world, whether they’re replacing limbs or just dropping jaws. Here are a few of our favorites from both sides of the coin:
- A Replacement Human Skull: Hands down, some of the coolest 3d printing feats have occurred in the realm of medical science. Last year, 3D printing was used to replicate a whole human skull in order to relieve a Dutch woman from pain and vision loss associated with a rare condition that caused her enlarged skull to press against her brain. Now with a plastic 3D printed cranium, her vision has returned and her symptoms are no more. Go science.
- A redesigned brace for scoliosis: It’s no secret that scoliosis, which affects an estimated 2-3 percent of the population, can make daily life very difficult for many people, starting at childhood. To our delight, 3D systems, headquartered in Rock Hill, South Carolina, has been working on a sleeker, more comfortable back brace called Bespoke, which young adults and children are actually excited to wear.
- Prosthetics for animals: There’s just something about helping our animal friends that has made even the most technophobic humans smile about 3D printing. Naturally, the numerous efforts to save the lives and lift the spirits of animals with 3D printed prosthetics make our list of favorites. From stories of Derby the dog who can finally run thanks to prosthetic front legs, to a penguin with a new beak at the Warsaw Zoo, we can’t help but feel warm and fuzzy.
- Mind-blowing fashion design: Many fashion designers have begun to shock and inspire the world by creating collections either partially or entirely from 3D printed materials. From Iris Van Herpen to Noa Raviv, one of our very favorites, designers are letting their imaginations run wild and taking new risks to explore the possibilities of 3D printing with clothing. Whether you’d ever see someone wearing some of these extravagant designs in public is a different story, but we’re just excited to see people having fun with it. Considering that 3D printed scoliosis braces exist, we can only imagine how else 3D printing technology will bring brilliant function into the wearable world.
- Working 3D printed cars: There’s no way we could leave the first working 3D printed car off the list. This electric car, called the Strati, took 44 hours to assemble, drives up to 40 miles per hour, and can travel more than 120 miles on a single charge. Quite impressively, the Strati has only 49 printed parts, while traditional cars typically have 5,000 to 6,000 parts.
Another noteworthy project came from the National Transportation Research Center at Tennessee's Oak Ridge National Laboratory, which created a 3D-printed Shelby Cobra on a six-week timeline to be presented at the Detroit Auto Show. It takes an incredible amount of energy to manufacture a car, and using additive manufacturing is one of the most efficient ways to accomplish the task. The lab’s goal was to make the car look sleek and beautiful like an original cobra, experimenting with surface finish, energy absorption, and manufacturing speed. The result is glorious.
Will cars be 3D printed in the future? We wouldn’t bet on large-scale 3D printed auto production any time soon, but considering the energy efficiency of 3D printing over traditional manufacturing methods, there’s certainly reason to continue innovating.
We hope these innovations from the last year or so have inspired you. So what do you think? What have been some of your favorite 3D printing feats? Let us know in the comments below!
How much does 3D printing cost?
Many people exploring advanced manufacturing options are curious about the cost of 3D printing. Determining the cost of a 3D printing project can be tricky because the technology is relatively new and many companies differ in the way they structure their pricing. By familiarizing yourself with the basic costs associated with 3D printing, you can get a general idea of how prices are determined and know what questions to ask when you request a quote.
While traditional manufacturing requires the high initial cost of tooling (creating the proper molds), and an additional cost for each product, 3D printing is much more affordable on the front end. A 3D printer can immediately begin printing virtually any part as soon as the machine has a digital 3D model on which to base the building process. The model’s complexity typically does not affect cost of manufacturing.
Instead, cost is generally based on two simple variables:
- The volume of materials used.
- Any labor associated with finishing parts after printing.
Because SLS technology uses powder-based materials, every part must be removed from the surrounding powder and cleaned of any excess material, which feels a lot like flour. Some parts will require in-depth cleaning to clear small tubes or cavities of the powder inside. Depending on their end use, some parts require additional finishing services like hand sanding or dying, which incurs an extra labor fee.
To clarify, different 3D printing methods have different costs due to the price of building materials, as well as total build time. For the purposes of this post, we will explore the pricing for selective laser sintering (SLS), which is Ultimate 3D’s current focus.
A cost metaphor
To get a picture of how costs are incurred in the printing process, let’s use a baking metaphor. First understand that SLS forms products from a powder that turns into a solid when it comes in contact with a laser. SLS building materials include different kinds of powder that vary in price, some more than others. The products are created layer by layer within a build chamber, so the flat surface area is fixed, while the height of the total build is the flexible variable.
If you were to print just one layer of plastic cookies, the build would be shallow—like the shape of a cookie tray, with powder filling the spaces between all the cookies so it’s a solid powder slab.
In another scenario, say you’re printing a birthday cake. The build size will be much larger because the flexible variable, height, has increased. The birthday cake sits on the same size of cookie sheet, completely surrounded in powder up to its very top so you have a big cube of loose powder with the solid cake safely inside. The powder costs money, and the taller the build, the longer it takes to make. Luckily, the surrounding powder can be recycled a few times when handled properly.
So, which is more expensive to print? Some companies will charge for the total volume of the build, whether the powder is loose or “baked,” making the cake much more expensive because it’s taller. Other companies will charge only for the amount of batter baked, so if the cookies altogether have more volume, the cookies could actually be more expensive. Still, other companies might charge for a combination of these variables or have an even more complex pricing system.
If you’re hungry now and still have no idea what to expect if you ever want to 3D print something, we’ll explain how Ultimate 3D charges for 3D printing:
How Ultimate 3D sets your price.
Pricing is based simply on the amount of powder “baked” into a solid. Regardless of height or other factors, the customer pays for the volume of their finished products, measured in cubic centimeters. Customers will also receive volume discounts for higher volume orders. Finally, finishing services such as sanding or dying factor into the final cost.
Pricing per cubic centimeter will differ between companies, starting at a few dollars per cubic centimeter and rising with more expensive materials or processes. The cost of materials (some of much more expensive than others), the volume of the project, the experience of the company, and the necessary post-printing services will all affect the final cost of 3D printing.
One fascinating aspect of the cost issue is that because commercial 3D printing is relatively new, we can expect certain costs to adjust as the technology becomes more common.
How to get a good price for 3D printing services.
If you’re going to pursue 3D printing services and you want to save on dollars and cents, call around for a few quotes to see where you can get a good product for a fair price. It’s good to keep in mind that while professional 3D printers can make parts with exceptional quality, the technician’s understanding of the proper techniques for printing with each material will affect the quality of the part, including its durability and appearance. You can’t go wrong by asking some questions to make sure you’re getting the best product.
How Does 3D Printing Work?
There are many different kinds of 3D printing with varying levels of sophistication. The unifying principle between common 3D printing methods is “additive manufacturing,” or manufacturing by building something layer by layer rather than creating a mold. This technology is especially useful when an individual or organization wants to print a limited quantity of items (without paying for tooling) or when you need a complex part that can’t be achieved with traditional manufacturing.
Some 3D printing technology is just for fun, or elementary prototyping at best. However, the most advanced 3D printing machines can make highly complex parts that can be used in virtually limitless real world applications, like working engine parts and prosthetic limbs.
The three most common 3D printing methods are SLS, SLA, and FDM.
Here’s how they work:
SLS: Selective Laser Sintering
SLS is a great choice for functional products as well as prototypes. The final product is a strong, flexible, chemically resistant part with a high tolerance to heat. These are large and expensive machines, not your consumer-grade printer.
To use SLS technology, you start with a CAD model. A highly sophisticated 3D printer reads the model one layer at a time, in turn then sintering powder-based materials layer by layer with extreme precision using a powerful laser. The typical materials are nylon-based and melt into a durable plastic. However, composite powders are also common depending on the look and function of the desired product. Each layer is incredibly thin--about 0.004 inches. Each time the laser sinters a new layer, the build platform lowers by a layer’s thickness and a leveling roller pushes a new layer of powder across the top to be sintered to the previous layer. Put more simply, it’s like building a loaf of bread one layer at a time.
SLA: Sterolithography
Sterolithography is also very useful for functional products as well as prototypes.
Like SLS, SLA is a professional-level 3D printing technology with the ability to make complex parts based on a CAD model. The material for SLA is a vat of liquid UV photopolymer "resin." To create each layer, an ultraviolet laser beam traces a cross-section of the design on the surface of the liquid resin, then the build platform descends by one layer and a resin-filled blade lays down fresh material for the next layer. The UV laser cures and solidifies the pattern, and support structures hold the cross sections in place. These structures are removed following the printing process. Once the complete model is printed, the products go into a chemical bath to remove excess resin. Finally, they are cured in a UV oven.
FDM: Fused Deposition Modeling
Fused deposition modeling is very different from the aforementioned methods, typically using thermoplastics (which soften at a certain temperature and solidify when cool) and requiring support structures to act as scaffolding during the build process.
An FDM machine reads a 3D model and slices it up, then it lays down material in thin layers, which are generally thicker than the layers created by more sophisticated 3D printers. The consumer printer Makerbot uses FDM, and of course more sophisticated FDM machines exist for professional purposes. The building material—either plastic filament or metal wire—passes through a heated extrusion nozzle that melts the material as it lays it down. At times, a support structure is necessary to hold the model in place during construction. The machine will print this structure along with the model, to be removed after completion.
Fused deposition modeling can be used for many of the same purposes as SLS and SLA, but its comparative drawbacks include poorer resolution, limited material options, greater waste, chemical use, and slower production time.