3D printing is advancing in leaps and bounds and the value to manufacturing is immense. If we can calm the futurists down for a minute and see the true value in 3D printing in Australia today we can break it into five main areas:
1. Rapid prototyping - seeing a design come to life with the opportunity to tweak and improve quickly.
2. Marketing & Promotional Tools - Exact 3D sales models of your product especially those that are difficult to transport or expensive to have on show.
3. Manufacture - short run manufacturing across a broad range of materials allowing for highly customised, low volume production - no tooling required
4. Tooling – moulds for the carbon fibre and fibreglass processes, injection moulding and stamping tooling, patterns for sand and investment casting as well as jigs, fixtures, and drill guides.
5. Reverse engineering - replacing parts that are no longer in production or are difficult to source by digitally scanning, solid modelling and then 3D printing.