Before you purchase a 3D scanner or printer for your company, it’s important that you understand a few things first: What different types are available? What will it be used for? How often do you see yourself employing 3D printing on the job? These are just a few of the questions we anticipate you needing to ask. That’s why we’re beginning a series of posts today, offering up a comprehensive buyer’s guide for those looking to get started with this technology.
What Are You Making?
That should be the question at the forefront of your mind as you consider what type of 3D printing tech to invest in. So, if you’re going to make concept models day in and day out, you’ll need a different set up than if you were making verification models, let’s say.
Concept models make it easier for companies to settle on a final design for a product or object. It gives them a three-dimensional object to look at, evaluate, and assess before moving into the next steps. This stands to save a company a lot of money, as opposed to actually creating the product itself only to then discover changes need to be made. Concept models printed out using 3D printing equipment also make it much simpler for developmental changes to be made. You can even produce several different models to present to see which one works the best. This is especially helpful when making a presentation to stakeholders to get funding for your business or project approval.
Verification models are another thing you can make with this technology. This helps designers evaluate various elements of a design and assess whether they look and/or function as intended. Instead of just guessing when looking at schematics or 3D drawings on the computer, you can use 3D printing to create real life models of the object in question. This helps to put to rest any questions you may have about the project and whether or not further revisions need to be made. This is probably the easiest way to put your stamp of approval on a project with complete confidence.
Be sure to check back next week as we delve deeper into information you need to know to make a knowledgeable decision about purchasing a 3D scanner or printer. It’s set to be chock full of valuable tidbits so we hope to see you back here then!