Economies of scale are intangible forces that support the modern industrial economy. Factories and production lines are characteristic of large-scale production in modern industrial societies. However, such production costs are not low, companies must employ skilled technicians and engineers to accurately convert conceptual designs into actual items, calibrate factory machines and supervise assembly lines. In order to recover the previous investment in design and production, companies must sell a large number of products in order to benefit from the initial investment. Therefore, mass production sacrifices the diversity of products.
And 3D printing is characterized by small batches and customization, which reduces the risk and cost of bringing new products to market. People don't need assembly lines or factories, and they don't need to hire skilled designers or engineers. In his masterpiece "Long Tail Theory," Chris Anderson describes the future manufacturing model as "a distribution system for very large networks of small businesses." Through specific analysis, we believe that 3D printing technology has at least the following ten advantages.
(1) Unlimited design space
Traditional manufacturing techniques and products manufactured by artisans are limited in shape, and the ability to make shapes is subject to the tools used. For example, a conventional wooden lathe can only produce round items, a rolling mill can only process parts assembled with a milling cutter, and a molding machine can only produce a molded shape. And 3D printers can break through these limitations and open up huge design space to create products that are difficult to process or even process in traditional processes.
(2) Improve product design
The prototype is the first draft of the product, which helps designers, engineers and manufacturers to perform multiple iterations and experience the appearance and feel of the product. Traditional prototypes are hand-crafted using foam or clay, creating conceptual models quickly through 3D printing, enabling better communication between designers and customers. In traditional industrial manufacturing, if a design concept is flawed after it is made into a product, the company has to bear the wasted cost of a large amount of material. Using 3D printing technology to create a conceptual model, you can quickly adjust the original design and continuously improve.
3D printed automotive component prototype
In addition to conceptual design, 3D printing is also used to create functional prototypes, because the articles made by 3D printing technology are inherently resistant to high temperatures and chemicals, and various performance tests are performed on the prototype to improve the final product. Design parameters greatly reduce the time from product design to production. 3D printing speeds up the design process, improving product safety and rationality design, ergonomics, marketing and design, enabling them to optimize and create better products before they are fully operational. product.
(3) Diversified production will not increase costs
In the case of conventional manufacturing, the more complex the shape of the object, the higher the manufacturing cost. But for 3D printers, the cost of making complex-shaped items does not increase. In addition, conventional manufacturing equipment has fewer functions and has a limited variety of shapes. A 3D printer can print different shapes, and it can make different shapes of items every time like a craftsman. This diversification of manufacturing without increasing costs will fundamentally break the traditional pricing model and change the way our entire manufacturing costs are structured.
(4) The product does not need to be assembled
3D printing is a one-piece feature that significantly reduces labor and transportation costs. Traditional mass production is based on industrial chains and assembly lines. In modern factories, machines produce the same parts and are assembled by workers. The more components a product has, the longer the supply chain and product line will be drawn, and the more time and cost it takes to assemble and ship. The integrated forming of 3D printing eliminates the need for re-assembly, which shortens the supply chain and saves labor and transportation costs.
(5) Shorten delivery time
3D printing can print according to people's needs. This kind of instant production will greatly reduce the inventory of enterprises, enabling enterprises to start 3D printers according to users' needs and create customized products to meet customer needs, so the new business model Will be possible. If people need goods that can be produced on demand, then this zero-inventory, zero-time delivery production method can also reduce the cost of long-distance transportation.
(6) Lower manufacturing threshold
Traditional manufacturing machines require skilled professionals to make machine adjustments and calibrations, and it takes a few years to train a skilled worker. And 3D printers require less operational skills than traditional devices, so the emergence of 3D printing will significantly lower the barriers to production skills. This unskilled manufacturing industry, which is free from the high threshold, will further guide many new business models and provide printing services to people in remote environments or in extreme situations.
(7) No space, portable manufacturing
3D printers can move freely and create items that are larger than their size. For example, an injection molding machine can only make items that are much smaller than itself, and some 3D printers can make items that are much larger than themselves. In addition, consumer-grade 3D printing devices are also free to move. Due to their high portability, a number of home or desktop 3D printers have emerged, all of which rely on the smaller physical space required for 3D printers.
(8) Saving raw materials
Traditional metal processing has a very wasteful amount of waste, and some refined production can even cause 90% of raw materials to be discarded. The amount of waste in 3D printers will be significantly reduced. With the advancement of printing materials, 3D printing "net forming" manufacturing will become a more environmentally friendly processing method.
(9) Unlimited combination of materials
Conventional manufacturing machines are difficult to fuse a variety of raw materials during cutting or molding, and 3D printed raw materials can be arbitrarily combined to create the desired performance structure. For example, nylon-glass fiber or nylon-carbon fiber composites can improve the mechanical properties of nylon. Adding 50% titanium metal to nickel alloy powder can significantly improve the performance. Now researchers have been doing carbon nanotubes, graphene and other composites. Research and development of new materials.
(10) Accurate entity replication
Traditional tapes can only be physically transferred to ensure that information is not lost. The advent of digital music files frees information from the carrier and can be copied indefinitely without degrading audio quality. 3D printing technology is also expected to extend digital precision throughout the manufacturing world into the physical world. 3D scanning and 3D printing technologies will jointly improve the resolution of morphological transformation between the physical world and the digital world, and reduce the distance between the physical world and the digital century.
Some of the above advantages have been confirmed, and some may become a reality in the next two or three decades. 3D printing will break through the bottlenecks of the traditional and long-established traditional manufacturing technologies, and provide a broader stage for mankind's future manufacturing innovation.
Article source address: http://
Pure Essential Oil,Essential Oil,Aromatherapy Oils,Grape Seed Oil
Ji'An ZhongXiang Natural Plants Co.,Ltd. , https://www.jazxnaturaloils.com