Benefits of Additive Manufacturing
Deciding whether or not to use Additive Manufacturing can be difficult in today’s age of manufacturing. It seems like an unexplored industry with tons of potential to find a diamond in the rough. Maybe one of these vendors will know their capabilities well enough to give you a great product at a price lower than alternative manufacturing methods?
Both CNC manufacturing and 3D printing are processes that allow you to create parts with multiple dimensions that may not be effectively made through injection molding. Injection molding isn’t always suitable due to uneven wall thicknesses which can cause issues with cooling or a lot size being too small to be considered cost-effective.
The obvious advantage 3D printing has over CNC machining right now is its ability to create very intricate dimensions without the need for complex fixturing and tooling. 3D printing also requires just one operation while CNC machining can easily require upwards of three separate operations. So, if there isn’t a lot of tooling or setup costs and they do virtually the same tasks why isn’t every large manufacturer hopping on the 3D Printing bandwagon?
While there certainly is a niche market for 3D printing today, there are a lot of glaring limitations with the technology as it stands today which continues to make more traditional processes like CNC manufacturing and injection molding the industry standard.
Lack of Durability in Available Additive Manufacturing Materials
One limitation of 3D printing is the inability to create durable products. Materials used in 3D printing are often very fragile. Unfortunately, to make materials even reasonably affordable they have to be. This technology isn’t developed far enough to have printers take dense materials and place them without severe energy demands. Now, there are many different methods used to increase the rigidity of a part’s structure despite material fragility but success has been limited. Until the machines themselves can become more energy efficient there will always be a limit between how fast, durable and affordable a particular part can get.
On the other hand, the material selection for CNC machining is much broader. The majority of lathes, mills, and routers are able to utilize tools graded to cut anything from wood to conventional steel. This makes them more than suitable to handle even the most durable plastics such as Delrin and FR-4.
Additive Manufacturing Materials Have Poor Heat Resistance
Along with the weak structural properties of 3D printing materials, it is commonplace for affordable materials to have low heat resistance. Thinking about it practically, the lower the heat needed to make these materials malleable, the less power is needed by the printer. But as you increase the material density these printers need more and more heat to put it in a formable state leading to higher costs and slower cycle times.
Another reason the material selection in CNC machining is much more diverse is due to the fact that heat is really a factor with plastic machining. Now that’s not to say that parts don’t get hot when tools are cutting material at 1000 RPM, but manufacturers normally have the option to use coolant to cool down the cutting area. If coolant is not able to be used then precise feeds and speeds must be used to manage chip build-up and tool wear.
Unable to Produce Threads in Additive Manufacturing
Additive manufacturing processes also struggle to produce functional threads. Manufacturers claim that through some tricky programming techniques, printers can make threads 11mm in diameter and larger, but this isn’t an intended feature of many of these machines so the threads that are produced tend to act as poor fastenings. Pair that with the consistency issues, threads produced on a 3D printer will be spotty at best.
Machining practices are much more refined in this regard. Precision threads have been made on CNC mills and lathes for years with exceptional durability. CNC mills are great for tapping smaller threads while lathes have the ability to cut much larger threads.
Additive Manufacturing Produces Poor Surface Finishes
Lastly, additive manufacturing currently has a load of issues with creating uniform finishes. The quicker you run a printer, the less material is being put down. This creates tiny ridges in each part. All of these tiny imperfections could render your part inoperable if it has any motion functionality or hydraulic requirements. The only way to combat this is to slow the printer speed down allowing the material to fully develop the part. Even so, the surface finish will never be as smooth as a machined part since the geometry on each layer is too defined.
These same weaknesses of 3D printing are what have made CNC Machining so great for mass production. CNC machines have a diverse offering of materials that can be cut at extremely high speeds. They are more than capable of cutting precise features like threads, radii, and multiple wall thicknesses with unmatched repeatability. A team of skilled engineers and operators will be capable of creating endless dimensional possibilities for your plastic needs.
The plastic machining experts from Jaco Products can give you the fast turnarounds and durable products you need. Since 1948, Jaco Products has been the go-to resource for premier plastic machining services. In fact, Jaco Products has grown to become the largest supplier of plastic injection molding, plastic stamping, and plastic machining services. Significantly, the Jaco Products team takes advantage of the most current in both computer-aided manufacturing (CAM) and computer-aided design (CAD) software to produce exceptionally durable parts. Companies across the country count on Jaco Products for premier plastic fabrication services. To list, these include
- Plastic Machining | Delrin Machining | CNC Machining
- Plastic Injection Molding
- Both Mold and Platen Insulation
- Both Plastic Stamping and Die Cutting
- Plastic Distribution Services | Delrin Machining
Getting in Touch With Jaco Products | It’s Easy to Do! | Delrin Machining
To find out how Delrin machining can add to your next project, connect with Jaco Products. To reach out to the Jaco Products team, simply fill out the online contact form on jacoproducts.com. In addition, prospective customers can use the contact information shown below to send written correspondence, emails, or phone calls.
Jaco Products
15060 Madison Rd
Middlefield, OH 44062
Sales and Technical Information Contact: Bill Carter
Email Address: bc*****@ja**********.com
Main Line: (440) 632-5800 Ext. 35
Website: jacoproducts.com
