3D printing has given engineers the power to create plastic designs at their desks and bring them to life in a matter of hours. Injection molding, on the other hand, is the go-to for quality and value. It is commonly used to quickly and reliably produce high-volume runs of complex plastic designs.
For large quantities: At scale, injection molding is the much more cost- and time-effective choice for production. As more parts are produced, the cost of the mold is spread more evenly. Plus, in extremely high production runs, the speed at which a part can be produced becomes faster than with 3D printing.
3D PRINTING IS BEST-SUITED FOR:
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For large quantities: At scale, injection molding is the much more cost- and time-effective choice for production. As more parts are produced, the cost of the mold is spread more evenly. Plus, in extremely high production runs, the speed at which a part can be produced becomes faster than with 3D printing.
3D PRINTING IS BEST-SUITED FOR:
- Quick turnaround times (1-2 weeks)
- Low volume production runs (100 parts or fewer)
- Designs with frequent changes
- Relatively small plastic parts or components
- Longer turnaround times (5-7 weeks for simple parts)
- High volume production runs (1,000+ parts per run)
- Final part design (no more prototyping)
- Parts of any size or complexity
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