Additive manufacturing lets you manufacture prototypes and small batches from digital files. While having an in-house desktop 3D printer puts prototyping in your hands, many businesses use specialised 3D prototyping printing services like ours to access more technologies and scale up capacity on the fly.
Relying on external specialists for 3D prototype printing means avoiding investing directly in expensive industrial printers that demand dedicated staffing. The on-demand model allows budgets to be focused only on each iteration without sizable capital outlays.
Cost Savings
Outsourcing 3D printing for prototypes spares businesses major capital expenditures. Companies pay for each printed prototype rather than invest heavily upfront in industrial printers, maintenance, repairs, and trained operators, allowing for flexible budgeting as prototyping needs change.
Since external services have economies of scale, you can prototype faster and cheaper. The variety of machines and materials also increases options without purchasing specialised equipment. Even factoring in shipping costs, businesses stand to save substantially compared to in-house prototyping.
Prototyping is fast and easy with on-demand printing services. Making tweaks and comparisons no longer requires waiting for internal production scheduling. Turnaround can accelerate prototype refinement and development cycles. The increased agility provides significant time and cost savings over the product development lifespan.
Access To More Printing Technologies
Using a 3D prototype printing service offers access to more technologies. Rather than purchasing a single type of industrial printer, companies can access stereolithography, fused filament fabrication, selective laser sintering and more from the same provider. The range of machines and processes enables the selection of the optimal method for each application.
Since service bureaus invest in many equipment, businesses get flexibility without massive capital outlays when needs change. As innovations emerge in 3D printing, external providers integrate new machines and materials while maintaining existing infrastructure. This ensures continual access to the latest advances without costly printer replacements.
The variety of specialised printing processes also enables tackling more complex prototype geometries. Mixing materials and finishing techniques within the same part is possible by leveraging different equipment efficiently. Even exotic substances beyond standard plastics and resins can be utilised for speciality requirements.
Expertise & Capacity
Leveraging high-volume 3D printing services taps into accumulated specialised expertise. We have dedicated specialists focused solely on additive manufacturing day in and day out. Working with diverse customers on countless applications builds deep technology knowledge and refinement skills. This depth of additive manufacturing know-how ensures optimal prints.
The capacity of industrial-scale 3D printing services far outpaces what individual businesses can justify buying. While your printer may max out a few parts per run, external bureaus can print dozens or hundreds in parallel. Large batches are routine for them but would overwhelm standalone equipment. This scale capacity accelerates the delivery of multiple 3D printing prototypes in parallel.
Material Options
Outsourcing 3D printing opens limitless material possibilities as options exponentially expand. Rather than relying on a single printer’s plastic filament, service bureaus offer everything from ABS to advanced composites and metals. As materials science progresses, more substances become printable through new processes like multi-jet fusion.
Since 3D prototype printing providers integrate each advancement in printable materials as they emerge, customers benefit from instant access without equipment acquisitions. Adapting to innovations no longer requires purchasing new in-house printers and learning new fabrication methods. Materials that were impossible just years ago are now readily available to all.
Scalability & On-Demand Access
Outsourcing 3D printing enables limitless scalability without unused printer capacity. A few parts are cost-effective since service bureaus leverage economies of scale across customers. This flexible fulfilment aligns costs to iteration requirements.
On-demand access means no downtime from internal printer maintenance and repairs, which delay progress. External capacity buffering handles surges beyond what individual machinery can produce without waiting. Leveraging outside speciality equipment sidesteps aligning staff and facilities to unreliable printer uptime. Services scale seamlessly up and down on command.
Complements In-House Prototyping
While outsourced 3D printing services provide immense 3D printing scalability, partnering external and internal capacity balances speed and costs. Maintaining a desktop 3D printer on-site lets engineers tackle more straightforward needs rapidly without logistics delays. This agility aids initial design conception iterations when refinement velocity matters most.
As 3D prototype printing progresses and design testing validates direction, more intricate fabrication with tighter tolerances or exotic materials requires tapping specialised services.
External services enable access to growing printable materials from composites to bio-med substances that are difficult to store and manage locally throughout the evaluation. Yet having basic ABS and PLA feedstock in-house preserves flexibility for engineers to print concept models self-sufficiently without using external suppliers.
Summing Up
Every organisation needs the capacity to test concepts using basic materials as ideas flow creatively and quickly. External 3D prototype printing transforms refined prototypes into complex production-grade finishes using specialised equipment like multi-material printers.
Partnering on-demand services allows small and mid-sized businesses to innovate on par with much larger competitors by closing resource gaps. But even for large producers, capacity limitations eventually surface, making hybrid leveraging of internal and outsourced infrastructure crucial for scaling smoothly.
Additive manufacturing workflows thrive when engineering teams can iterate freely and tap specialised services to seamlessly transition refined concepts to realistic testing. Creating this flexibility alongside access to leading-edge equipment and materials makes it possible to achieve much more. The synergy ultimately accelerates taking visions from initial models through to final products.