3D Printers - Are they practical yet?

Some Background

3D printers allow us to prototype and/or manufacture our 3D designs. This post will primarily be targeting FDM (Fused deposition modeling) printing machines. These printers have some positive traits and some negative traits.

Positives:

• Can print in many different types of plastic
• Cost effective (notice I did not say cheap)
• Great for “form and fit” prototyping
• Ex: design and print a phone case - if you use the correct dimensions, it will most likely fit on the phone.

Negatives:

• No high-definition prints
• Printing tolerance of +/- 1mm
• Due to this - print layers are visible
• Overhangs on printing need support material to print without warping
• Weak in the Z-axis
• Potentially expensive

Now that we have some background knowledge, let’s get back to the question: Are 3D printers practical yet?

For Businesses - Yes

A 3D printer (at this time) is primarily used to print prototype 3D models. In a business, using 3D printers for design prototyping would be an incredible idea. For a good, reliable printer, we have to remember that you get what you pay for. If you go into an investment not wanting to spend more than $1000, you will most likely get a printer that is not the best quality. A good printer can run you from 1000 - 7000 dollars.

For Personal Use - Potentially

For personal use, a 3D printer may not be the best option for you if you don’t have the money to spend and/or a practical use. One great alternative to buying a 3D printer is 3D Hubs. With this service, you can send in your 3D model that you want printed. You can pick a “hub” to print your model and the model will be printed and sent to your doorstep! For me, this is this best option. The only reason I would consider purchasing a printer would be if I wanted to open my own hub.

Sources

• Source 1
• Source 2