With 3D Print becoming more and more prevalent, there are more reasons to start 3D printing for yourself or your business.
3D printing is an additive process whereby layers of material are built up to create a 3D part. This is the opposite of subtractive manufacturing processes, where a final design is cut from a larger block of material.
Here at Computer Assistance, we use our 3D printer extensively to give you a bit of our personal touch and to save the planet by removing emissions it takes for certain items to be delivered to us then to you. We currently use a Creatality CP-01 to do all our printing, with filaments changing on a case-by-case basis.
We have made a plethora of components that will fit nicely in any PC build or even cases for other smart devices such as a raspberry pi case. Now 3D print may have jumped leaps and bounds in recent years but it still only part of the manufacture process, therefore should not be relied on wholly as a one stop for all manufacturing process.
Pros & Cons
There are many positives of owning and operating a 3D printer in your workplace such as saving money from avoiding outsourcing and the surcharges that come from that. It’s an eco-friendlier way of producing a product that would normally have to travel great distances in turn creating large emissions. It can also be used an in-house solution to make little 3D parts that would otherwise be hard to come by in the general market.
There are negatives to this process, as 3D Print does have its own costs like the filament which can set you back depending on what filament it is you are wanting, it can also take a long time if working on something intricate or large which can slow down the whole manufacturing process. But most of the negatives are on a case-by-case basis and rely on a different variables such as filament type, brand and age of the 3D Printer.