SLS 3D printer enables individual pieces to be produced profitably in small and medium batches. Like the conventional manufacturing processes such as milling, turning, or casting, the production costs aren’t dependent on the component’s complexity. The expensive tools or complex, specialized solutions were previously needed. It provides a risk factor for completion on schedule, and industrial 3D printer and powder materials are now the only prerequisites for hassle-free production.
When it comes to manufacturing, the external geometry is almost exclusively the determining cost factor. Complexity also plays a minor role in production times as well as costs. Material and weight can also be saved by designing lightweight structures. 3D printers for manufacturing have an intelligent integrated functionality. For example, springs or hinge joints reduce the number of components and administrative costs in ERP systems and the assembly costs.
Component adaptations can already be implemented digitally and physically during the product development phase by adapting the 3D data. The time-to-market is reduced as pre-production prototypes are easily created and optimized. With large 3D printers, you can get comprehensive functional integration that can be ‘designed’ directly into the component, and complicated structures can be built without tools while reducing sub-components to a minimum. This reduces the number of development cycles and allows sustainable product innovations to be produced quickly at a lower cost.