3D is a dynamically developing manufacturing technology, which enabled many companies to make significant savings. Lowering of the costs of short production series, tools or, particularly, prototypes is possible at any company. In each operation areas may be found where measurable savings may be achieved.
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How to do it? The question will be answered by 3DGence specialists who support companies in optimising their costs on a daily basis.
Calculation of a 3D printing service takes the maximum of 24 hours at 3DGence and is a basis for carrying out a more accurate cost-effectiveness analysis. 3D printing prices are based on a series of factors, such as volume and size of an object, quantity and type of the material used, or time and working technique when making a 3D printout.
The most important thing to arrive at the cost of 3D printing is to determine material and finishing requirements which make up the cost of a specific part. There are many factors which influence the cost of a printed part.
Before 3D printing starts in the selected technology, the person responsible for starting up a device must make a process simulation and analyse the possible settings of a model for 3D printing. The selection of adequate temperature settings for the respective material, the speeds or additional parameters of the process is of key importance to produce a most durable part. The initial costs of 3D printing include also the preparation of a device to work, implementing of the printing materials or the measures creating the proper 3D printing environment.
The most important factor in calculating the costs of a 3D printout is the size of the object and the place needed in the device for printing the same. Larger objects are more expensive due to the space they take and, in consequence, the time needed to arrive at a complete printout.
3DGence, as an expert in 3D printing technology may propose a vast material portfolio to its customers, stating from standard plastics, such as ABS or PLA, and ending with aluminium and titanium alloys.
Our team of engineers takes an individual approach to 3D printing inquiries, analysis the needs and proposes the solutions which may bring measurable savings in the respective sector. Contact us: [ protected]
3D printing has many advantages, however, cost reduction is of key importance to many companies, which includes very low cost of manufacturing short series of products or individual elements.
Emtel, a manufacturer of medical devices, managed to reduce the costs of prototypes even by 90% with 3D printing. In the company decided to design a new model of a cardiac monitor. 3D printing proved to be the most adequate technology to make a prototype of the casing, with regard to the price of manufacturing
.Delivery of the model by third parties was the cost of approximately PLN 2,000. And at the stage of forming as much as 3 versions of the same model must be prepared.
Design decisions have a direct impact on the overall cost of your custom part. During the design process, you should consider the amount of material you’d like to use, whether you’ll need support structures and what post-processing will be required.
Let’s go over the key design considerations that will affect the final cost of your custom parts.
The total volume of your part will significantly affect how much it costs to print. Incremental reductions in part size can actually lower the cost quite a bit.
Printing support structures requires extra materials, which quickly raises the cost of any 3D-printed component. It’s important to remember the additional price that comes with support structures when choosing the right manufacturing technology.
FDM, for instance, is generally the cheapest 3D printing process available, until you start producing complex parts that need support structures to print properly. SLS and MJF have a higher base cost than FDM, but as powder bed fusion technologies, you don’t need to think about the extra cost of support structures with these processes.
How you design the geometry of your part dictates the amount of material and support structures you’ll need when it comes time to 3D print the part. To reduce geometry costs, you can split the part model into several components, reduce the length or angle of overhangs and reorient the model on the printing base to minimize support structures.
Here are several essential design tips and tricks that will help to reduce the cost of 3D printing and ensure that your designs translate into pristine 3D-printed components.
Use gradual transitions between surfaces that border one another
Make sure you don’t have significant differences in the cross-section and volume of your part
Opt for rounder corners, as sharp corners can create residual stress on the workpiece
Avoid buckling or warping by removing thin, unsupported walls (especially if they are unnecessarily high)
Flatten out shallow angles on surfaces to avoid stair-stepping
Design for manufacturability analysis as early as possible
Avoid over-tolerancing your parts, as it leads to printing with thinner layers and extra secondary machining requirements
If producing your model to scale isn’t crucial—for example, if you’re producing a visual prototype—you can 3D print a smaller part or set of parts to significantly reduce your manufacturing costs.
It’s essential to remember that we’re thinking in three dimensions. A 10x10x10 cm cube has double the volume of an 8x8x8 cm cube, so even a small reduction in the size of your model can mean having to use far less material to produce a part that still serves the desired function.
Contact us to discuss your requirements of 3d printing service price. Our experienced sales team can help you identify the options that best suit your needs.
One way to scale your 3D model is to use the free software Netfabb. Here’s how:
Step 1: Download and install the free version of Netfabb.
Step 2: Open your model, click on the “Scale Part” button in the menu bar and adjust the size of your model. The software uses the millimeter unit by default, but you can change this in settings.
Step 3: Save your scaled model by going to the upper left of the user interface and navigating from Part > Export Part > as STL (binary).
Step 4: Upload your design to Protolabs Network's platform for 3D printing. Remember to specify the same units as you used in Netfabb.
You can also watch this video on how to scale a 3D model in Netfabb.
Hollowing out your part in the design stage is an effective way to substantially reduce the costs of 3D printing.
While FDM printers produce semi-hollow parts with an internal infill structure by default, other 3D printing technologies like SLA, SLS and MJF may produce parts that are 100% solid unless the original model is already hollow. If your part doesn’t have to be solid throughout, we recommend hollowing out your 3D CAD model.
Of course, this recommendation only applies to powder-based technologies and comes with the extra design tip to add escape holes so unfused materials can be removed after printing. If you hollow out your design for SLA, it may be challenging to remove resin when the part is complete.
Here is a step-by-step guide to hollowing your model using the free Meshmixer software.
Step 1: Download and install Meshmixer.
Step 2: Open your model and click Edit > Hollow and select your wall thickness. Use 2 mm-thick walls as a safe lower limit for all 3D printing processes.
Step 3: Add escape holes to your model so you can remove excess material after printing. Double-click the surface of your model in Meshmixer to add these. We recommend adding escape holes in places that aren’t normally visible in the use of your part. If you’re printing with SLS, make sure to add 2 or more holes with a diameter of at least 5 mm.
Step 4: Click Accept and export your model as an STL file.
You can also watch this video on how to hollow out your model using Meshmixer. As you will see, a few minutes of editing a CAD file may significantly impact the final cost of 3D printing custom parts.
FDM 3D printing often requires support structures to print parts with overhangs. This leads to more materials and additional post-processing to remove the support structures and smooth out the surface of the part. Eliminating the need for
support structures is a viable way to reduce the cost of FDM.
We recommend two options for eliminating the need for support structures in your FDM design.
The first option is to design your part with overhang angles greater than 45 degrees.
To dive deeper into support structures in FDM and other 3D printing methods, check out this article. You can also find our complete design guidelines for FDM here.
The second option is to split your model into two or more parts that don’t require support structures. You can assemble these pieces after 3D printing is complete.
Here is a short tutorial on how to do this in Netfabb:
Step 1: Download and install the free version of Netfabb.
Step 2: Open your model in Netfabb. Select the “Cuts” field and specify the location and angle where you want to split the part. Make sure each component has a flat surface to be used as a base for printing.
Step 3: When you’re happy with the placement, click on “Execute Cut” and export your file to STL.
You can also watch this video on how to split your model for FDM in Netfabb.
While there are many extra costs to watch out for throughout the 3D printing process, overall the value you get with this additive manufacturing technology far outweighs an unexpectedly high price tag.
3D printing has the incredible potential to reduce your part count, produce parts that are lighter and more structurally sound and lower the cost of assembly. Using 3D printing to manufacture parts means gaining access to part features that are either impossible or much more challenging to achieve with traditional methods.
As well, it’s vital to remember that 3D printing doesn’t involve fixtures, molds and different types of tooling. This balances out those extra costs you’ve seen so far. What’s most important is to consider the overall value you get with 3D printing, which is incredibly impressive for a growing list of applications and industries. A few extra costs associated with 3D printing now may reduce manufacturing costs in the long run, and leave you with more design freedom and better parts.
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