On a global scale, when you pay closer attention to the world of manufacturing, it is easy to see how the 3D printing Australian industry has created a ripple effect in the manufacturing space. 

We know that it has been the very same old story for many, many years now – for traditional manufacturing. A typical engineer would work on designing a part or component and decide on the kind of material to be used, what its shape is going to be like, and many other factors that will go along and define it. After which they can fabricate a rudimentary prototype for testing and evaluation.   

But if it has something to do with a part that is intended for its end-use, the engineer is compelled to look for and find a manufacturer that has the technical competencies to produce the part in question and do it to a professional standard. 

It is at the discretion of the manufacturing body to decide on what kind of manufacturing processes they’re going to use to make it. They can opt to use machining or they can choose to stamp and bend metal sheets into a brand new form.

They can also make use of tooling materials or casts in producing large quantities of the parts in question using their preferred liquid plastic material as the base. 

Weak Points of Traditional Manufacturing System

  • Production of waste materials
  • Require the use of additional equipment
  • Require skilled labor force

 Subtractive manufacturing is one of the popular and widely employed traditional manufacturing technologies we have today. This term refers to the manufacturing process that takes out a shapeless and formless block of material, trim it, cut it, refine it, and reduce it to a particular shape. Perhaps what can be considered as typifying subtractive manufacturing is the CNC machining system.  

3D Printing Australia Into the Scene

3D printerThere is no disputing on this one that 3-dimensional printing has impacted the manufacturing world in many ways. Taking things from the perspective of an engineer, 3D printing (sometimes referred to as additive manufacturing) has provided a better alternative to building/creation of various physical objects.

Adopting that bottom-up, layer-by-layer approach, it renders the 3D printing method more than capable of producing components and parts that come with confusing internal structures and unique geometries.

A handful of 3-dimensional printing devices in the market today allow users to make a combination of materials for batch printing. The waste problem factor, which we often associate with subtractive manufacturing is finally resolved by the “additive” nature of 3-dimensional printing.  

What can be considered as the biggest, a major impact of 3D printing to the manufacturing sphere is how it has knocked down entry barriers. The vast majority of 3D printer machines in the market nowadays have all that it takes for value, they consume a tad amount of space; need no accessory or additional equipment, and perhaps the most important thing about them is that you can operate them almost autonomously. 

This has allowed the democratization of various manufacturing processes. It made it highly possible for just about anyone to fabricate part sans any hardcore machining skills or any major investment.  

While we have to admit that there are no clear indications yet that the traditional manufacturing systems are going away any time soon, 3D printing Australia successfully made for us a whole new manufacturing mindset.