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3D Printing: An Alternative to Injection Molding That Requires No Tooling

By Hardware Team | November 4, 2020

For companies looking for a more cost-effective and agile alternative to injection molding, 3D printing presents a unique opportunity. To create product variants, additive manufacturing can easily refine designs digitally instead of making new molds. Eliminating tooling reduces capital expenses and product turnaround time, and increases design freedom. Read on for a more in-depth breakdown of these advantages.

From Design or Prototyping to High Volume Manufacturing and Automation With Connected 3D Printing

By Smart Factory Team | October 28, 2020

3D printing is allowing companies to improve manufacturing capabilities, whether in-house or leveraging contract 3D printing services in a smart factory. Companies in many industries can see multiple benefits when they use 3D printing smart factories for high volume or low volume/high mix manufacturing. Here’s how companies can accelerate the go-to-market of new products from prototyping to high volume manufacturing.

How to Develop High-Quality Night Guards and Retainers With 3D Printing

By Dental Team | October 21, 2020

3D printing is a viable manufacturing method for volume and customized production in a number of industries, including footwear, aerospace engineering, and dentistry. Used for the last 35 years, 3D printing eliminates several steps from the traditional production method, significantly accelerating development without compromising product quality. 3D printing night guards and retainers offers several benefits for patients and dentists, making it increasingly the preferred method for developing dental devices.

How to Scale Up Manufacturing With a Smart Factory

By Smart Factory Team | October 14, 2020

With flexibility and a high level of automation, 3D printing helps manufacturers accelerate new product introduction (NPI) and full-scale production. Commercialization of 3D printing systems in smart factories has also brought costs down, allowing more companies to take advantage of additive manufacturing services. When deciding how to scale up manufacturing of new or existing products, partnering with a smart factory leveraging 3D printing allows greater flexibility in manufacturing capacity, while accelerating production ramp-up and supporting a high mix-low volume suite of products.

The Future of 3D Printing in Dentistry Services

By Dental Team | October 7, 2020

Introduced three decades ago, 3D printing is transforming dentistry. The market for 3D-printed dental products is expected to reach $930 million by the end of 2025, driven by greater commercialization of printing systems, the need to customize dental products, and the availability of contract 3D printing services.

Footwear Manufacturing Plant Costs and Considerations

By Footwear Team | September 30, 2020

3D printing, either in-house or outsourced to a contract manufacturer, helps footwear companies control costs, manage their risk, and create a broader range of higher quality products. If you’re looking to partner with a contract manufacturer or expand your existing footwear manufacturing operations, choose a partner or process based on 3D printing to help control costs and reduce risk.

4 Low Volume Manufacturing Strategies Leveraging 3D Printing to Reduce Cost and Risk

By Smart Factory Team | September 23, 2020

3D printing systems eliminate the need for tooling which decreases upfront costs, reduces the inventory on hand requirement, speeds up design to production cycles, and enables a more diverse set of products manufactured at any one site. The flexibility and agility allow companies to easily implement low volume manufacturing strategies that can make them more competitive.

How 3D Printing Is Changing the Manufacturing Industry by Enabling Flexible Supply Chains

By Smart Factory Team | September 16, 2020

With 3D printing, the tooling costs to manufacture new and modified products and designs are eliminated. With no tooling and greater flexibility, 3D printing reduces the cost structure and risk, and changes the business model for manufacturers. 3D printing is changing the manufacturing industry and offers several advantages that enable agility.