3D Printing Service – 3D printing on demand

The market for 3D printing services is growing rapidly. It responds to the needs of the changing world and the development of technology. Investment in a professional 3D printing machine is profitable only for high volume 3D printers. 3D custom printing services is an alternative to buying an industrial 3D printer.

Author: Jacek Krzyżanowski

For small and medium sized companies, buying and operating a professional 3D printer for 10,000 euros is rarely economical. If a company only needs templates of complex shapes, samples, models, prototypes, single pieces or small batches occasionally, then contracting a 3D printing service provider usually makes more sense.
When choosing the right supplier, 3D printing technology, 3D design and data transfer, there are several things to consider. The choice of material and printing technology seems to be crucial here. Printing with FDM technology seems optimal here because of the printing time and material costs – usually several times lower than with other technologies

What can 3D printing services be used for?

It’s simple: to meet needs in three areas: prototyping, maintenance and low production volume. More in the article: When and why is it worth outsourcing 3D printing services?
3D printing service providers print scale models, prototypes or 1:1 templates, as well as single pieces or small series. You can 3D printing tools for production or maintenance – faster and more cost-effectively.
It is easier to 3D print than to mill, for example. You no longer have to buy consumable and spare parts from the manufacturer at a high price. They can always be individually modified at the 3D printing service provider. This saves time and makes you independent of an external supplier.

Custom 3D Printing – Manufacturing Support

Outsourcing 3D printing also has applications in low-volume manufacturing. It allows many companies to take advantage of reverse engineering and have parts recreated that are not cost-effective to produce with injection molding. This is not always the case.
An example of low-volume production is also the 3D printing in furniture manufacturing. In this case, 3D printing on demand saved the company money on an expensive injection mold.

You can 3D print almost everything: plastic and metal structures, flexible, transparent or translucent materials, wood-based materials, including grain or solid elements made of concrete, with or without iron, fiberglass or textile reinforcement, etc. The only limitation is the creativity of the ordering 3D printing service. The development of technology and materials puts FDM printing technology in a privileged position due to its availability, ease of printing, speed and price.

Also important is the fact that the technology is truly additive, producing only the desired part without the need for additional processing. This makes economic sense for the customer ordering the 3D printing service.

3D printing requires error-free 3D model data. This is the biggest barrier in additive manufacturing processes, because not every craft company designs 3D on a computer and not every 3D model can be printed immediately and without mistakes. If you don’t design precisely, a more or less complex correction of the model or even a completely new generation of the geometry data is necessary. This is where the aforementioned reverse engineering or an experienced 3D printing team can help. An experienced 3D printing specialist can assist the customer with expert advice or even redesign the model. In many cases we also have a 3D printing service that includes not only 3D printing but also a model design service.

Check out our offer – 3D printing on demand and get an estimate for 3D printing on demand

In conclusion, 3D printing service is profitable for many smaller or medium-sized companies. Apart from the benefits in the form of shorter prototyping time or lowering costs, it gives an opportunity to get known and familiar with 3D printing itself. For many companies it is the beginning of the journey with a modern approach to Industry 4.0.

Contact:

LinkedIn: Jacek Krzyżanowski

m. +48 886 618 690

e-mail: jk@omni3d.com