When NOT to 3D Print - The Warnings All Around Us

As you can probably tell by now, I’m obsessed with 3D printing. I think it can completely change the way which we manufacture things due to its unique capabilities.

It’s important to keep in mind that nothing exists in a vacuum. 3D printing will always be one option of many. Those other options, such as injection moulding, are extremely competitive. These manufacturing methods have been around for a long time, with passionate people just like me looking to find the optimal ways to use them in business.

Before I started writing this, I bought a bottle of Powerade for $2. It comes in a contoured bottle and a pop-top cap. I’ll probably use the bottle for water down the line. The cap looks to be the same quality as anything else I own – perfectly suited for its function. Food safe, recyclable, reusable and with a reliable mechanism. And on top of all that, it comes with a drink! I don’t think I could pull that off with a 3D printer.

Many customers I’ve spoken to are shocked by the cost of 3D printed parts, because their price expectations are set by mass manufactured products like this. Where 3D printers make things for dollars, mass manufacturing makes for cents (or, less than a cent).

If we try to 3D print things which could be mass manufactured and mass-consumed, we are surely wasting our time. You can use a gold ingot as a paperweight, but there’s a lot more iron in the world.

3D Printing for Business is designed to find the applications where 3D printing excels. This usually coincides with places where mass manufacturing does not excel. Products with high variety and low demand are what I have identified as the most suited to 3D printing – although we may find more ways to determine suitability. For a drink bottle which doesn’t need to change in size and has a market of billions, please don’t try to 3D print it.

For someone like me, it’s easy to overestimate how impactful 3D printing will be in comparison to other forms of manufacturing. If you’re also interested in 3D printing, I recommend taking some time to learn the advantages of other manufacturing methods. This will keep you grounded in reality and help to filter out the printing ideas which just won’t cut it.

As always, thanks for reading,

Simon