Essay on 3D Printing and Injection Molding

When it comes to creating a product, there are numerous options. You might be creating a simple product such as a toy or even a hardware product. Similar to how we draw the picture of a cartoon character before creating it, a product requires a prototype first before being launched. An entrepreneur might not find it tough to create a prototype of a product.

The real issue is creating its clones in a large number. Let’s say you are creating a thousand toys. How will you do it? Sure, there are several other things to consider while manufacturing but one of the crucial aspects is the method of production.

Following are the most common methods of production:

3D Printing

3D printing is one of the most exciting topics in the market at the moment. It is like a new realm that has opened recently and its exploration is necessary. What is unique in this process is the addition of materials for creating the end part. It is the opposite of cutting materials like in reshaping and milling. This is one of the major differences between 3D printing and injection molding.

A great benefit of using this method is its cost-effective nature. Due to this reason, it is considered a golden egg. For instance, there are no upfront costs. Why?

It is because you don’t need different molds for creating different parts. Rather than that, what you need is a digital file. You need to imagine your castles and make them through 3D printing. When you don’t need extra resources for creating a product, possibilities available to you are limitless. There are some shapes which are usually impossible to create. For instance, a shape with critical edges is time and work-intensive. For instance, there are some fish which you cannot catch no matter what.

The production of these shapes is possible with 3D printing. One can create almost anything with the use of this method. Using this technique, one can make almost anything. You can even make the most difficult shapes with numerous edges.

Injection Molding

This is one of the oldest techniques being used in the manufacturing industry. In order to create products, molten material is inserted into a metal mold. After cooling the mold, the product is taken out and is refined. It is similar to making swords. In previous times, soldiers made swords in this manner.

Do you know what makes this process difficult?

Just imagine that you need to make a model of a house. For each and every part of your house, you need a different mold. For a door, you need a different mold and for the window, you need a different one. As you make a complicated product, the molds for that product also begin to increase. It is a very tiring process.

Other than just being tiring, it is an expensive process as well. With every mold, one needs more cost to invest in it. Just think about the cost if you need to make a large number of parts. It will cost you a large amount of money to make different products.

This is one of the main reasons why 3D printing is better than injection molding. Not only injection molding is expensive, but it also has some limitations. For instance, one cannot make complex parts of a product using this technique. These limitations are not applicable when it comes to 3D printing. The sheer possibilities of creating products are limitless. One can make almost anything with the use of this technique.

These benefits are what make use of 3D printing more preferable than injection molding in the production industry. Thus, if you are making a decision between the two, you should use 3D printing for making products.