Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs), especially in the highly technical electronics sector, rely on the latest technologies to continually improve manufacturing processes. Adopting practices like 3D printing, OEMs evolve to meet changing quality standards, keep up with trends in consumer demand, and remain lean in terms of cost and overhead. 3D printing has revolutionized the volume and ease with which components can be manufactured. As industrial 3D printing capabilities reach new heights, OEMs can capitalize on this new technology.
What is 3D Printing?
3D printing starts with creating a digital model of the component you want to manufacture using 3D modeling software. These softwares can be open source (like Blender) or licensed. There are even applications being created to suit industry specific needs. InstantCAD, for example, allows manufacturers to test a model’s various geometries under distinct conditions. Automotive OEMs are utilizing this technology to create 3D models for testing heat distribution, weight distribution, and drag, making the development process more informative and allowing OEMs to better optimize their components’ utility for end users.
While 20 years ago, 3D printing could only create simple, smaller objects, modern 3D printers have the capacity to create complexly shaped and functioning components that use less raw materials than traditional manufacturing methods use.
Today, companies are pushing the boundaries of what manufacturing is and what it can do for people. Local Motors, for instance, has revolutionized the automotive world by creating the world's first car made entirely from 3D printed parts.
How OEMs Can Capitalize on 3D Printing
One of the primary ways OEMs are capitalizing on 3D printing to minimize their costs is by using 3D printing technology to lower working volume expenses.
Conventionally, it may cost a manufacturer tens of thousands of dollars to design and develop the molding and tooling needed to create a single part. This may make sense when an OEM is producing enough of these pieces to reach economies of scale, but when only a limited number of components are needed, it may be harder to justify such an expense.
With the emergence of more affordable 3D printing technology, manufacturers can minimize setup costs, providing more flexibility in OEMs’ manufacturing schedules to create what they need, when they need it, no matter how large or small an order.
3D Printing Reduces TTM
Any technology that speeds up the process of design, testing and manufacturing can have a positive effect on time to market (TTM). 3D printing’s extensive modeling software gives OEMs the autonomy to prototype components quicker than ever before. Phase changes that would have taken months using conventional manufacturing methods can now be implemented in a week or less.
As a result of 3D printing, OEMs can drastically reduce the turnaround time associated with meeting consumer demand, which increases customer satisfaction by allowing end users to get back up and running as soon as possible when a warranty or recall warrants a repair. Moving inventory quicker also means OEMs can spend less on inventory storage and management, and more on reinvesting back into their brand, ultimately providing more value to those they serve.
