Terry Wohlers talks about the benefits of this new technology for your business.
"3Dprinting" is a monthly
column authored by Terry Wohlers for Time-Compression
Technologies.
This column was published in the May/June 2005 issue.
When
most product developers consider implementing a 3D printing system, they
focus primarily on creating physical models of new designs for review and
evaluation on-site. Having the capability to produce models and prototype
parts within a CAD design office provides designers and engineers with
immediate feedback that can help compress product design cycles. By
validating design concepts and uncovering potential design problems early
in the process, manufacturers can avoid the protracted delays and
increased costs associated with making changes late in the design cycle or
during tooling or production. While internal design feedback remains the
primary basis for investing in a 3D printing system, the changing face of
the product development and manufacturing landscape-from one located
almost entirely in North America to a worldwide enterprise-creates the
need to consider 3D printing from a broader, global point of view.
By Terry Wohlers
Of course, many manufacturers with overseas-based design divisions,
manufacturing operations, partners, or vendors print models at the main
design office and send them around the world for a variety of purposes.
However, the physical shipping approach is slow, costly, and does not take
advantage of 3D printing technology in an efficient, cost-effective
manner. Because CAD solid models consist of digital data, they can be sent
electronically anywhere in the world and imported into a CAD system or
outputted as an actual 3D-printed model. Either way, model data can be
faxed to a different geographic location where prototypes can be created
as 3D prints. While still a relatively recent trend, the concept of 3D
faxing-sending CAD data over a network, telephone line, or by e-mail to
support 3D printing at a remote location-is catching on. 3D faxing not
only pays dividends for large multinational corporations but also for any
manufacturer that needs to collaborate with a colleague, partner, vendor,
or customer that is located far away. As the product development world
gets smaller-with more and more of the production cycle taking place
overseas-opportunities to benefit from 3D faxing will continue to emerge
and grow.
One example of how 3D faxing currently benefits manufacturers is the field
design work being conducted by Motorola, Inc.'s Personal Communications
sector. The group, which develops new concepts for cellular telephones,
has deployed design teams around the globe so they are close to the
customers they serve. As requests for concept models from the global
design team increasingly grew, Motorola decided to install 3D printers-the
ZPrinter 310 and the Z406 3D printers from Z Corp. (Burlington, MA)-at its
Asian design center in Seoul, South Korea.
Now, Motorola engineers can fax 3D CAD files of new concepts to the Seoul
facility, where prototypes are created, without any lag time or shipping
costs. The global design team can then review design concepts with major
customers and provide timely feedback before a product goes into
production. By leveraging the concept of 3D faxing, Motorola has improved
design communications with a strategically located design team and
accelerated its decision-making process on a global scale.
Manufacturers such as Motorola that compete in overseas markets can use 3D
printers and 3D faxing to broadcast design concepts and obtain valuable
feedback from the field faster than ever.
Perhaps the most obvious application of 3D faxing technology is to reduce
lead times and minimize errors when manufacturers interact with vendors.
Union Footwear (Bangkok, Thailand), one of four principal Nike
subcontractors, took advantage of 3D faxing to accelerate and improve the
quality of its bidding process.
Until recently, Union Footwear had to supply the first article run from
production tooling with its bid to Nike. But when the company learned that
Nike had begun accepting models from 3D printing with bids instead of
actual production runs, Union Footwear installed a 3D printer-the Z406
printer from Z Corp.
By faxing 3D prints of Nike designs to the company in Thailand, Union
Footwear realized significant savings related to initial tooling expenses,
especially because Nike frequently required changes to the initial mold
design. Now, the company leverages 3D faxing to both prepare bids and
obtain final customer approval, an approach that has proven to be
significantly more efficient and profitable.
With manufacturers and vendors located thousands of miles from one another
instead of down the street, 3D faxing can facilitate manufacturer/vendor
interaction, providing benefits for manufacturers-faster bids with fewer
errors-and vendors-savings on initial tooling costs that support more
competitive pricing.
Although most product developers focus on the immediate, onsite
application of 3D printing technology, its use across distances through 3D
faxing is an important trend, especially as the product development and
manufacturing landscape becomes more and more global in nature.
Industry consultant, analyst and speaker Terry Wohlers is principal consultant and president of Wohlers Associates, Inc. (Fort Collins, CO). Visit wohlersassociates.com for more information.