Small to Medium Scale Product Manufacturing using Additive Manufacturing: A Case Study

Caleb | May 27, 2023, 11:12 a.m.

Small to Medium Scale Product Manufacturing using Additive Manufacturing: A Case Study

Finding the correct manufacturing solutions for any product can be a lesson in compromise. For products demanding larger production volumes, setup and tooling costs of traditional methods of mass manufacturing can be justified. However, for production cycles with smaller or more varied requirements, the cost and complexity barriers to mass production limit them as an option. For situations such as these, additive manufacturing can present an otherwise absent opportunity to bring a product into production.

Additive manufacturing brings with it two distinct advantages: no minimum order quantity and customisability.

The first of these, no minimum order quantity, allows for a fixed price per unit, no matter the quantity required. While this amount will be higher than that of a mass production cycle, the absence of any moulding or tooling costs makes the overall cost significantly lower for smaller quantities. This makes additive manufacturing a great fit for quantities of one to a few thousand units.

The second advantage of customisability is most ideal for products new to production. The relatively easy process of changing designs and production methods partway through a cycle allows for various test iterations and challenges to be addressed throughout. Test productions allow for confidence that the end product will be as expected and remove any nasty surprises that mistakes in mass production may incur.

Many of PrintGig’s clients have taken advantage of the manufacturing capability that additive manufacturing provides. One in particular required a production run of a few thousand security cases for one of their products they looked to deploy to their clients. Encountering issues in sourcing such a limited run of a specialised product, they found PrintGig’s capabilities to be exactly what they required for their manufacturing solution. We were able to solve that issue for them, allowing for a successful deployment of their systems.

Interested in taking advantage of additive manufacturing for your own needs? Contact PrintGig today to see how we can service you.