Disadvantages Of 3D Printing

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II. Manufacturing:

3D printing has many advantages over traditional construction methods. With the help of 3D printing, an idea can transform a designer’s computer to actual finished product or component, potentially skipping many of traditional manufacturing steps, which includes procurement of parts, creation of moulds, creation of parts using different moulds, welding metal parts together, machining to carve parts from blocks of material and final assembly. It also reduces the amount of material wasted in manufacturing and creates difficult objects with complex geometric structures like fractals which can add strength, or are natural in shape, may reduce weight, or increase functionality. In a typical metal manufacturing, for example, it can create objects with an unique honeycomb structure, while bioprinting on other hand can create organs with an internal network of blood vessels. But there are some limitations of 3D printing currently, which vary by printing technique, include limited object size, relatively slow build speed, limited resolution or object detail, high materials cost and, in some cases, limited strength of object. However, with recent advancement it is possible to overcome these limitations.
The use of 3D printing for producing complex design, with low volumes, and highly customizable products is already increasing. A aircraft company Boeing currently prints 200 different parts for ten of its aircraft platforms. In health care, we see manufacturers offering printed custom hearing aid earpieces, which are selling more than one million units as per 2011 statistics. In addition to that, more than 40,000 acetabular hip cups (used in hip replacement) have been built using 3D printing. Invisalign, the dental applia...

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...hich can be a $400 pair of earrings or a necklace that can upto 6 figures. A prospective buyer can search for a perfect engagement ring, for by choosing from one of eight metal options (platinum/gold/silver) then perhaps side stones (emerald/ruby/sapphire/topaz) to book the diamond of his or her choice. American Pearl’s CAD/CAM software platform will outputs a STL digital file that’s perfectly proportional, taking human error out of the process. The company then produces a model using thermoplastic wax which can act as mould.
The customer’s chosen metal is then poured into this specially crafted and precisely-proportioned mould. After it hardens the gemstones are added and the entire process is monitored by expert jeweller. By cutting labour cost and using sophisticated printers American pearl can deliver the piece in3 to 4 days at a rate cheaper than competitors.

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