The Basics<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/img.facfox.com\/imgs\/2022\/03\/0ec1d885ec5ec546.png\")
An injection-molded part alongside a 3D Benchy, mid-print. Source: injectionmouldingparts.com, Emmett Grames \/ All3DP<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n3D printing and injection molding have\u00a0a lot in common. Both are manufacturing processes meant to\u00a0make a designer\u2019s vision\u00a0a reality as painlessly as possible, and both are great at producing\u00a0prototypes or replacement parts, among many things. But although they get you the same result, they\u00a0are\u00a0vastly different processes.<\/p>\n
First of all,\u00a03D printing<\/strong>\u00a0is an additive process. It manufactures objects by building them up layer by layer. You can watch this build process as it happens, which is useful when you\u2019re testing a new design.<\/p>\nInjection molding<\/strong>\u00a0makes use of molds (as you may have guessed from the name). First, an object\u2019s inverse is carved out of a material that is safe to handle the molten build material (the material the finished object is made of). Then, the molten build material is poured into the mold.\u00a0Once the material has cooled in the mold, the finished object is ready.<\/p>\nIt\u2019s important to realize the differences between these two processes in order to determine\u00a0which works best for your application. That\u2019s what we\u2019re here for \u2013 so let\u2019s dive in!<\/p>\n
What You Need<\/h3>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/img.facfox.com\/imgs\/2022\/03\/e959cb72f645bedb.png\")
3D printers come in a wide variety. Source: Mashable<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nBoth 3D printing and injection molding start with a digital 3D design. And while we\u2019re in the design stage, below are a few different things that are needed for these two different processes.<\/p>\n
3D Printing<\/strong><\/p>\n\n- 3D printer.<\/strong> The obvious answer. You can find whatever you need in a huge range of prices. It\u2019s also worth noting that if you\u2019re not ready to invest in your own machine, you can use various 3D printing services, such as FacFox online 3D printing services<\/a>, that print your designs with a wide range of materials and machines. These services can be great for testing your initial idea if you\u2019re on the fence about whether you want to be manufacturing in-house or for the long haul.<\/li>\n
- Filament\/material.<\/strong>\u00a03D printers use spools of filament which are fed into the printer, melted, and extruded onto the printer\u2019s bed to form the object \u2013 it\u2019s sort of like using an icing bag. There are many different filaments that exhibit an array of properties, everything from thermoplastics designed for beginners to blends with stone, metal, and wood, which are trickier to manipulate. And as you may have guessed, we have a handy\u00a0filament guide<\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Injection Molding<\/strong><\/p>\n\n- Injection molding machine.<\/strong>\u00a0Duh again, right? But once more, there\u2019s more to this than meets the eyes. Injection molding requires a specific machine that contains a material hopper, an injection ram (or some kind of plunger), and a heating unit. These machines are designed to keep the molds in place while they\u2019re being filled, so nothing jostles them to mess up the final products.<\/li>\n
- Molds designed for your object.<\/strong>\u00a0This is the most valuable tool for injection molding. It will literally make or break your manufacturing, and unfortunately, it\u2019s much easier to make a mistake here than to fix one. Molds are expensive to create from original designs, so a lot of manufacturers make the molds on a large scale to stretch their money further. They\u2019re usually made from hardened steel, aluminum, or a copper alloy to stand up to the heat of the injection process.<\/li>\n
- Material for your final object.<\/strong>\u00a0Like 3D printing filaments, a large range of injection molding materials are available. Metal alloys and plastic polymers are both popular for machine parts and other replacement objects. Again, the specific material you need depends on what you\u2019re making.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Pros and Cons of 3D Printing<\/h3>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/img.facfox.com\/imgs\/2022\/03\/b3173e5f76c29569.png\")
3D printing requires materials called filaments that are rolled onto spools. Source: Dremel Shop<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n3D printing is a great entry point into manufacturing, especially if you\u2019re looking to print small amounts of intricate designs. Here\u2019s what you need to know about 3D printing to help you decide if it works for your ideas.<\/p>\n
Pros<\/strong><\/p>\n\n- Low entry cost.<\/strong>\u00a0You can spend as much money as you want to get into 3D printing \u2013 and if that\u2019s not a lot, you\u2019ve still got plenty of options. A desktop 3D printer and a filament supply will set you back exponentially less than an injection molding setup, and the ongoing proliferation of open-source software and hardware in the community gives you a great support network of others who can help you along the way at little to no cost.<\/li>\n
- Easy to make changes.<\/strong>\u00a0Because of its additive nature, you can spot and fix issues with your design while your model is being made. This\u00a0makes it possible to avoid\u00a0wasting an entire run of material on objects that all have the same flaw. 3D printers let you pause mid-process and continue in the same spot, which is perfect for spot adjustments that otherwise would make you start all over.<\/li>\n
- Easy to support complicated designs.<\/strong>\u00a03D printing\u2019s process of adding layers on top of each other makes it perfect for creating intricate infrastructure. The extruder lends a delicate hand to printing details, and the previous layers act as support.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Cons<\/strong><\/p>\n\n- Slow\u00a0object output.<\/strong>\u00a0One drawback to 3D printing\u2019s detail-oriented process is that it severely limits how many objects can be printed at one time. The vast majority of 3D printers will only produce one or two models at a time \u2013 even machines with more than one extruder.<\/li>\n
- Limited build volume.<\/strong>\u00a0Manufacturing with 3D printers is also limited by the size of their printing area because the extruder arm will always have a maximum reach. Plus, the larger the sections that hang off the edges of the printing area, the more unstable the entire design becomes. Large-scale 3D printing is possible, but even that is relatively small compared to what can be achieved through injection molding.<\/li>\n
- Rough object surface.<\/strong>\u00a03D printing\u2019s layers are small and close together \u2013 but still noticeable. This creates a ridged surface on finished objects no matter how fine the layer detail is set. This presents a problem if you want to manufacture objects that will move against other objects, like machine parts which should be flush. At the very least, you will have to add an extra\u00a0smoothing step to your process if you want to use 3D printing without its distinctively bumpy finish.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Pros and Cons of Injection Molding<\/h3>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/img.facfox.com\/imgs\/2022\/03\/60bf92fdfbacdf89.png\")
Injection molding is a popular way to manufacture large batches of identical objects. Source: RevPart<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nInjection molding is a\u00a0tried and tested manufacturing process. It\u2019s got a lot going for it,\u00a0but it\u2019s not without its own issues to consider.<\/p>\n
Pros<\/strong><\/p>\n\n- Large simultaneous output.<\/strong>\u00a0Injection molding is designed to utilize a large number of molds at once. The machines are built on a scale that lessens the cost of each mold with every one that\u2019s added, so producing batches of dozens, hundreds, or even thousands of molded objects is the norm. This is perfect if you\u2019re ready to mass produce your design.<\/li>\n
- Enhanced object strength.<\/strong>\u00a0Objects made through injection molding consist of a single poured layer, which adds strength to the shape because there are no fissures or points of weakness. Furthermore, injection molding can handle pure varieties of dense materials like concrete that have to be diluted or otherwise modified for 3D printing filaments.<\/li>\n
- Minimal scrap produced.<\/strong>\u00a0Because injection molding pours material as fits into the molds, it uses exactly as much as is needed for each design. That makes it a very efficient way to mass produce objects without worrying about waste.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Cons<\/strong><\/p>\n\n- Limitations of design.<\/strong>\u00a0Constructing a mold constricts the geometry of your designs in several crucial ways. First, right angles are inadvisable because they make it difficult to pull out the hardened object without risking breakage. Slanted angles ease edges out with less competing pressures. Second, injection molding just doesn\u2019t lend itself to delicate areas of design that stand on their own. Creating a mold \u2013 an inversion of your design \u2013 is not as precise as additive technology.<\/li>\n
- Difficult to correct mistakes.<\/strong>\u00a0In the same vein, discovering and rectifying any mistakes you find in your injection molding process will cost you time, money, and sanity. If an object turns out wrong, that means the mold needs to be completely remade, and chances are you\u2019ll need to redo an entire batch of objects as well.<\/li>\n
- High entry cost.<\/strong>\u00a0Injection molding machines alone cost upwards of six figures \u2013 they\u2019re designed for industrial use, rather than hobby use. That doesn\u2019t include the cost of making your molds, getting your materials, and prototyping all the designs before putting them into production.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Ideal Applications<\/h3>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/img.facfox.com\/imgs\/2022\/03\/c3a3e0ca4c67c7e8.png\")
3D printing vs injection molding. Source: Slant 3D<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nSo, what have we learned about the distinctions between 3D printing vs injection molding? Basically, they\u2019re two different ways to approach the same basic task \u2013 creating 3D objects. But because of their different strengths and weaknesses, their use cases are different.<\/p>\n
3D printing is best for\u2026<\/p>\n
\n- Limited run objects.<\/strong>\u00a0This includes objects like prototypes or small-batch production, among others.<\/li>\n
- Designs with a lot of gaps or holes in the middle.<\/strong>\u00a03D printing is great for adding design support as it\u2019s needed, like when a piece branches off or causes a gap.<\/li>\n
- Tweaks in design.<\/strong>\u00a03D printing lets you adjust your design as it comes to life, so it\u2019s great if you\u2019re not sure where your design might fail during the creation process.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Injection molding is best for\u2026<\/p>\n
3D printing and injection molding have\u00a0a lot in common. Both are manufacturing processes meant to\u00a0make a designer\u2019s vision\u00a0a reality as painlessly as possible, and both are great at producing\u00a0prototypes or replacement parts, among many things. But although they get you the same result, they\u00a0are\u00a0vastly different processes.<\/p>\n
First of all,\u00a03D printing<\/strong>\u00a0is an additive process. It manufactures objects by building them up layer by layer. You can watch this build process as it happens, which is useful when you\u2019re testing a new design.<\/p>\n Injection molding<\/strong>\u00a0makes use of molds (as you may have guessed from the name). First, an object\u2019s inverse is carved out of a material that is safe to handle the molten build material (the material the finished object is made of). Then, the molten build material is poured into the mold.\u00a0Once the material has cooled in the mold, the finished object is ready.<\/p>\n It\u2019s important to realize the differences between these two processes in order to determine\u00a0which works best for your application. That\u2019s what we\u2019re here for \u2013 so let\u2019s dive in!<\/p>\n Both 3D printing and injection molding start with a digital 3D design. And while we\u2019re in the design stage, below are a few different things that are needed for these two different processes.<\/p>\n 3D Printing<\/strong><\/p>\n Injection Molding<\/strong><\/p>\n 3D printing is a great entry point into manufacturing, especially if you\u2019re looking to print small amounts of intricate designs. Here\u2019s what you need to know about 3D printing to help you decide if it works for your ideas.<\/p>\n Pros<\/strong><\/p>\n Cons<\/strong><\/p>\n Injection molding is a\u00a0tried and tested manufacturing process. It\u2019s got a lot going for it,\u00a0but it\u2019s not without its own issues to consider.<\/p>\n Pros<\/strong><\/p>\n Cons<\/strong><\/p>\n So, what have we learned about the distinctions between 3D printing vs injection molding? Basically, they\u2019re two different ways to approach the same basic task \u2013 creating 3D objects. But because of their different strengths and weaknesses, their use cases are different.<\/p>\n 3D printing is best for\u2026<\/p>\n Injection molding is best for\u2026<\/p>\nWhat You Need<\/h3>\n
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Pros and Cons of 3D Printing<\/h3>\n
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Pros and Cons of Injection Molding<\/h3>\n
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Ideal Applications<\/h3>\n
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