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. As a full-service manufacturing supplier, we offer both additive manufacturing and injection molding, giving you the flexibility to tap into the ideal solution and transition back and forth at different stages of your project.
Navigating the complexities of product development often involves coordinating multiple vendors, a process that can be both time-consuming and costly. That’s why working with a full-service provider like Stratasys Direct has tremendous advantages. With expertise in both Additive Manufacturing (AM) and Injection Molding (IM), Stratasys Direct can advise you on the best options to accomplish your polymer parts production.
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 hours, 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 you were able 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. While Stratasys Direct also offers production-level additive manufacturing technologies, like SAF and P3/DLP, Injection Molding stands out as the clear winner for volume production parts.
Tight tolerances and exact dimensions are the hallmarks of injection molding projects. With advanced tooling and process controls, Stratasys Direct delivers parts with tighter tolerances when compared to additive manufacturing.
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. Stratasys Direct's meticulous attention to detail ensures flawless finishes, enhancing the overall quality of the parts. While additive manufacturing can achieve similar smooth finishes, it typically requires post-processing to achieve comparable results.
From small, intricate components to large, complex assemblies, injection molding accommodates a wide range of part sizes with ease. From tiny items like building blocks to large parts such as automotive panels, Stratasys Direct's expertise in mold design and manufacturing ensures optimal performance across diverse part geometries and dimensions.
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, including part complexity, volume, material selection, and speed to market. With Stratasys Direct as your partner, you can navigate these considerations with confidence, leveraging our expertise in 3D printing and injection molding manufacturing to optimize your product development journey. Whether it's harnessing the design freedom of 3D printing or the scalability of injection molding, we can deliver innovative solutions tailored to your specific needs.
