In the world of plastic part manufacturing, the decision whether to use 3D printing or injection molding significantly influences the speed, cost, and outcome of your project. For this reason, we’ve developed this practical guide that addresses key points to consider when choosing a manufacturing method. Stratasys Direct has more than 30 years of advanced manufacturing experience, covering both additive and conventional processes. Our experience can help you find the best solution for your project, plus provide valuable insight on when to transition from additive to injection molding.
One of the hallmark features of 3D printing is its versatility and speed. Ideal for precise prototypes and low-volume production, additive manufacturing allows for rapid iteration and fast part production. Stratasys Direct's expertise in AM ensures that projects are executed efficiently, often delivering parts within a few days, thus accelerating the overall timeline. Typical lead times for additively manufactured parts are approximately three days for most AM technologies.
Complex geometries and intricate designs are ideal applications for 3D printing. Additive manufacturing offers tremendous design freedom and enables you to create complex parts that would not be possible using other manufacturing techniques. Even if it were possible to create a mold for these geometries, it would necessitate slides, significantly increasing the cost and risk of downtime due to slide or mold breakage.
Additive manufacturing excels in producing customized, personalized parts tailored to specific applications. Whether it's creating unique prototypes or individualized end-use products, the flexibility of 3D printing allows for unparalleled customization, catering to diverse needs. Each part is unique, and with 3D printing, personalization becomes not only feasible but also efficient and cost-effective.
The ability to rapidly iterate and test designs is a significant advantage of 3D printing. With quick turnaround times, designers and engineers can develop prototypes quickly, refine the design, and perfect the final part before going to full production.
3D printing offers tool-free manufacturing, allowing you to bypass the expensive costs of expensive tooling and molds. In addition, on-demand manufacturing capabilities provide greater flexibility and supply chain efficiency, allowing you to adapt to demand, and reduce excess inventory and waste.
For applications requiring isotropic parts with consistent material properties in all directions, injection molding is the ideal manufacturing choice. Injection molding ensures uniform strength and performance across all vectors of the part’s structure, ensuring consistency throughout the entire part.
Injection molding is suited for medium to high-volume production runs, ranging from hundreds to thousands of units. Some additive technologies, like SAF and P3/DLP can easily fabricate production parts in low-to-mid volumes. Stratasys Direct offers these technologies and a strong range of materials for those projects. But for higher volume products and an almost limitless range of materials, injection molding is your better option.
Tight tolerances and exact dimensions are the hallmarks of injection molding projects.
That silky finish you touch on some plastic parts? That’s injection molding doing what it does best. Injection molding creates volumes of parts with incredibly smooth and consistent surface finishes, ideal for parts that need an aesthetic flair or functional demand – like seamless sealing. While additive manufacturing can achieve smooth finishes, Injection Molding is uniquely adept at parts with these features. However, additive manufacturing is an excellent choice for prototyping to perfect your design before starting injection molding for production parts.
From small, intricate components to large, complex assemblies, injection molding accommodates a wide range of part sizes with ease.
In the world of manufacturing, typically the more you make, the less you pay. That’s true when it comes to injection molding. High-volume production becomes increasingly cost-efficient as part quantities increase, giving you economies of scale and making injection molding the preferred choice.
The decision between additive manufacturing and injection molding hinges on various factors like part complexity, volume, material selection, and speed to market. Stratasys Direct can assist you with all your 3D printing needs and is a great resource for helping with prototyping before your production requires large-scale injection molding. Leverage our expertise in 3D printing to navigate these considerations and optimize your product development journey. Whether harnessing the design freedom or speed of 3D printing or preparing you to start with injection molding, we provide innovative solutions tailored to your specific needs.
