Graphics Reference
In-Depth Information
Limitations of 3D printing
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Slow
In traditional manufacturing the time it takes to produce an object by plastic injection
molding or metal stamping is counted in seconds or minutes. In 3D printing it might
take hours or even days to produce one object.
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Cost
Professional 3D printers cost 100 000s of dollars, and are more expensive per pro-
duced part compared to traditional mass manufacturing equipment. 3D printing ma-
terial prices are also relatively high compared to material prices for traditional man-
ufacturing. The slowness of 3D printing also adds to the production costs. However,
in some cases, such as production of airplane parts it might be more cost effective to
use 3D printing.
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Material limitations
The range of plastic and metal materials in 3D printing is limited compared to tradi-
tional manufacturing. Different materials have different melting points and the AM
machinery might not be compatible with some specific polymers and metal powders.
The range of materials will most likely improve over time though.
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Wall thickness
It is only possible to print dimensions down to a certain limit, which means that you
cannot print a knife edge of high quality for example. The printable wall thickness
differs with different materials. Minimum wall thickness is around 0.5 mm/0.02” for
plastic and around 1.5 mm/0.06” for stainless steel. These values will probably im-
prove over time.
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Surface finish and part strength
