Help Understand size/scale – If you’ve ever designed in CAD software, all parts look to be about 6-12” long… depending on the size of your computer monitor. That is the beauty of 3D CAD design – whether you are designing a skyscraper or a microchip, you can view your part at a comfortable scale. But once that part gets sent to the shop floor or 3D printer, it may shock you to see how big or small it really is. When I worked as a design engineer, I was always surprised at how small my parts ended up being. By 3D printing them before even machining a metal prototype, I was able to notice details like potential difficulties in assembling such a small piece.

Feel ergonomics – Ergonomics (from the Greek word ergon meaning work, and nomoi meaning natural laws), is the science of refining the design of products to optimize them for human use.
Any component that a human needs to physically interact with requires some design consideration for how this interaction happens. Typically when we hear “ergonomics” we think of chairs or desks, but let’s not forget all handles, knobs, toys, remotes, furniture, tools, just about anything to do with an automobile… the list goes on. The best way to test the ergonomics of a design is to physically interact with it, and that is one thing a CAD visualization cannot provide. 3D printing provides a quick and effective way to hold a handle, for example, in your hands to see if it feels comfortable and usable. Pass the part around to multiple employees to get their feedback and suggestions. 

Shadow boxes – A shadow box provides a visual cue for where tools or components need to go. This is big for shops implementing lean manufacturing practices. In many cases, programming and machining a shadow box to the exact curves and angles of the tool/component placement is not worth the time or effort. 3D printing a shadow box from cheap plastic overnight with no operator supervision required makes more sense.

CMM Fixtures – One of our best customers, an injection mold company in Wisconsin, 3D prints all their CMM fixtures. The fixtures are designed to match the exact contours and angles of the part so they fit perfect every time. They also design the part numbers right into each fixture, so when they need to use one, they have the fixtures arranged by part number on shelves. If and when a fixture wears out, they simply use the same print file to create another overnight. Their machinists no longer have to spend time machining aluminum CMM fixtures.

Short run tooling for injection molding – Injection mold tooling might be the holy grail of 3D print applications. Hard steel molds are expensive and take weeks or months to machine. If there are design changes, you can multiply that timeline many times over. While a handful of companies are attempting the move to directly 3D print production parts, the reality is injection molding is (for now…) superior in terms of material options, surface finish, accuracy and repeatability. We now see company’s directly 3D printing short-run molds in both plastic and metal in a fraction of the time.  Even if there is clean-up machining or polishing required, it still drastically cuts down on the cost and time compared to traditional methods.

Demo pieces for the sales team – If a picture is worth 1,000 words then a physical model is worth 1 million. Giving the sales team a part to show off in meetings or pass around in a presentation, it makes their job of selling much easier. Presenting a physical prototype for a client to hold in their hands is better than almost any computer generated image. The sales team brings in the money for the company, which pays everyone’s salary… so give them the best tools possible!

Validation before tooling investment – Imagine being a young engineer, designing your companies latest new product which happens to be a complex plastic part. You’ve finished the design and management is asking for the go-ahead to purchase the tooling for $60,000. You hope the design is perfect because if it needs a design change for whatever reason, they may have to remake the tooling which costs another $60k and 2 months. In 2019, 3D printing your plastic part before purchasing the tooling is a critical step in the design phase. Test as much as possible before investing in the tooling. Get every kink and potential failure point out of your design to ensure the maximum chances of success.

Space claim planning – Planning a new shop or office takes careful planning to ensure the space is both safe and efficient. 3D printing the footprint of each machine, desk, room, etc. allows a physical layout of the proposed idea. Decision makers can stand around the scale mode, physically move the pieces around, and discuss their options. This can be a more effective way than using a computer generated model on a computer screen in which one person has control, or emailing revisions back and forth.

Fluid flow – One of the biggest benefits of additive technology is the design freedom to create complex geometry for free. By “free”, I mean that the 3D printer does not care what your design is, in the same way a paper printer doesn’t care how complex your words are. It just prints what it is told. Fluid flow (whether gas or liquid) is a very complex area of study, and one where “simple” is not always better. 3D printing can create fittings, ducts, and passageways with unique bends, curvature, and internal geometry that would otherwise be impossible to create. The benefits of this are to reduce fluid turbulence which causes noise, vibration, and system inefficiency. This is especially critical in the aerospace and automobile industry.

Robotic Grippers/End Effectors – Assembly lines are becoming more automated due to lower cost, higher quality robots. The “end effector” is the modular “hand” at the end of the robot. The strength-to-weight ratio of the end effectors is very important because heavy grippers are more energy intensive to move, especially at high speeds. 3D printing is the perfect solution for robotics. 3D printed parts can be hollowed or printed with a lattice structure for weight reduction. They can also be printed with precise geometry for your application. Markforged makes 3D printers with continuous carbon fiber, Kevlar, or fiberglass capabilities to achieve an incredible strength-to-weight ratio.

New and unique design constraints – All manufacturing methods have design constraints, 3D printing included. CNC machining is constrained by the drills, mills, cutters, fixtures, and machine capabilities (3-axis, 5-axis, etc). Injection molding is constrained by die draw, press size, and wall thickness. Stamping, extruding, and forming each have their own constraints. 3D printing is just another tool in the manufacturing toolkit. It eliminates a vast majority of traditional design constraints, but we’re left with constraints such as overhang supports, print orientation, powder removal, and stair stepping, to name a few. Additive manufacturing opens up the possibility of organic shapes, topological/generative design, and mass customization.

To say you have one! – This may not be the case anymore, but back in the early 2000s it was a big deal to tell your customers you owned a 3D printer. Some companies purchased one for their lobby to show how innovative and forward-thinking they were. In 2019, most manufacturers are using additive technology in some form, whether directly or indirectly. It is almost an expectation to have additive capabilities of some sort for quick prototyping, even if it’s a $300 hobbyist FDM machine from Amazon. It is so easily integrated with the near universal 3D CAD design programs used, there really is no reason not to be using additive in some form.

Feel free to contact me at Mark.Blumreiter@MasterGraphics.com or 414-559-360