3D printing is becoming a common tool in the recent years in the manufacturing workplace. It can be used for everything from custom tooling to prototypes for future machined tools that can cost thousands of dollars. After getting our companies second 3D printer in house last week, I have come up with a few tips that can help getting one in house easier.
Costs
Before you start diving too deep into what 3D printer you want. Establish a cost limit. You don't want to fall in love with one that your company is never going to purchase.
Establish your needs
A couple questions you need to ask yourself. These are both going to reflect on what type of printer you decide on.
- How big of prints are you going to make?
- What types of materials are you looking to use?
Wants
Determine what you WANT! This could be anything from WIFI connectivity to a on board camera. Everyone should get what they want every once and a while :). This will also make you want to use it more.
Choose a printer
Do your research using the steps above to choose a printer. Then when you finally chose a printer, chose 2 or 3 more to compare it to. This will help when presenting to management that the one you chose is the right choice. In my latest purchase I used excel and scored each printer in multiple areas (15-20 areas) to get an overall score for each. These areas could include things such as printer area, print temp, bed temp, and enclosures.
Presenting your idea
Lastly, you're going to have to get approval for this. Depending on how much you want to spend you may have to do more work than if it's a couple hundred dollars. It's a good idea to create a PowerPoint to help organize everything. You can also use this during a presentation if you decide to do one. Before you present, be well versed on the printer you want and any others you may be comparing the one you want to. There is nothing worse than answering a question with I don't know, or I will have to look into it. You will be glad you were over prepared when you walk out of that meeting with a purchase approval.
Below are a couple updates on our latest 3D printer build.
Check out our 3d printer below
Modix big 60 v3
Calibrating (end of day 3)
Is the 3D printer cost efficient though? If I were to have a 3D printer and I were making itmes with it, at what point would I be making profit, compared to if I did not have a 3D printer?
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Deletesorry for the late reply, I tried to do it at work but couldn't log in properly. We use our printers for internal tooling and fixtures. We don't sell anything. So it is all cost saving's and no direct profit. If you are interested in getting one let me know what you are looking to use it for.
DeleteGreat post! Interesting topic! I have always been fascinated by 3D printers and their capabilities. Glad to see a classmate asking for your advice in the comments. You did a fine job at meeting all of the requirements of this project, as well as breaking down the costs and desired attributes of such printers. Great job! Very informative!
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