Based on the metal 3D printing process, mass production has always been a direction of metal 3D printing manufacturers, in the just concluded exhibition can see many manufacturers in the mass production efforts, but from the current results, for the time being, it is not possible to achieve mass production of metal 3D printing. So in the future, if there is a ***, metal 3D printing can also achieve high-volume production like the cnc process, will it be replaced? Then you may wish to compare the advantages and disadvantages of the two.

advantages and disadvantages of the cnc process

cnc is currently one of the best processes for producing hardware products, its advantages are mainly that there are many types of hardware materials that can be used, less waste of materials during production, fast mass production speed, low cost and so on.

the disadvantages are mainly from efficiency. first, the production cycle is long and the cost is high, resulting in cnc having to produce a certain amount of hardware products to have economic benefits, which is not suitable for small batch production. second, molding has limitations, and some shapes will cause the mold to be unable to be removed, limiting the product design. third, the iteration cost is high, after modifying the product design, the corresponding production mold also needs to be modified, which will require new costs and time. therefore, it is generally only when this set of molds has achieved economic benefits that it will be iterated. in order to achieve economic benefits, it must be produced to a certain quantity after booting, which will cause inventory costs.

CNC MACHINING CAN BE MORE COSTLY THAN OTHER TECHNOLOGIES, SUCH AS 3D PRINTING, FOR SINGLE-PIECE OR VERY SMALL BATCH PRODUCTION RUNS. NEVERTHELESS, CNC MACHINING IS COST-EFFECTIVE FOR HIGHER VOLUMES. SUBTRACTION CREATES MORE WASTE, AND 3D PRINTING USES ONLY THE MATERIALS NEEDED.

ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF METAL 3D PRINTING

The advantages of metal 3D printing are that there is no need for molds, less restrictions on the molding structure, and the advantages of design and topology optimization can be fully utilized, the structure of the product can be optimized, and the same or better mechanical properties can be achieved with less materials. The cost of metal 3D printing and the complexity of parts are very small, such as a complex part, the cost will increase geometrically when using CNC, while metal 3D printing will not increase the cost of geometry, and it can also integrate multiple parts into a whole, print them as a whole, and reduce the assembly time in the later stage. Since no mold is required, metal 3D printing supports iteration better. In addition, metal 3D printing can be produced on demand, and as much as is needed, reducing inventory pressure and making production more flexible.

The disadvantages of metal 3D printing, one is that the speed of mass production is not fast enough, when the production quantity exceeds a certain amount, the efficiency of metal 3D printing is inefficient. If metal 3D printing and CNC are likened to runners, metal 3D printing is a sprinter, and CNC is a long-distance runner. Second, there are many fewer kinds of materials that can be used than cnc. Third, the surface quality is general, and it is often necessary to carry out post-treatment to improve the surface quality.

summary

Starting from the advantages and disadvantages of both sides, the two sides are currently in a complementary stage, and some small batch production has been using metal 3D printing process. In the future, with the continuous advancement of metal 3D printing technology, it will continue to grab some markets from CNC. But to really replace cnc, it is still relatively difficult in a short period of time. When the printing speed of metal 3D printing is fast enough, the materials supported are enough, and the quality of the printed parts is better, the CNC process may have a relatively large impact.