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Warehouse in the cloud

Does the ability to 3D print-on-demand mean the end of the stockpile?

Johannesburg, 01 Jun 2018
Pauline Bullock, Director, Rapid 3D.
Pauline Bullock, Director, Rapid 3D.

The ability to 3D print on-demand pretty much anything is revolutionising the bottom line of businesses that traditionally need to stock some sort of inventory to meet customer demand. Instead of having a stockpile of spares and accessories that might never be required, not to mention paying for the space in which it's stored and the insurance thereon, businesses can 3D print parts as and when they require them, using additive manufacturing.

The simple solution might appear to be just acquiring your own 3D printer. And that does work for some applications. However, you get a wide assortment of 3D printers for various types of additive manufacturing, and an even wider array of substrates, and this might represent an investment that just doesn't make sense for the average business. It may also not have a suitable environment for a machine that may require special ventilation, for instance. In addition, it requires a certain amount of skill and know-how to create a digital file for an item requiring complex components or materials. All of which make outsourcing the ideal solution for the majority of businesses.

Enter the 3D printing, or additive manufacturing, bureau, which offers all of the required technical expertise and advice necessary to choose exactly the right solution for each application.

Using a 3D printing bureau means you have none of the investment but all of the benefits of on-demand parts and components. Imagine being able to go online, find a design file for that particular component, e-mail the bureau and have the part couriered to you? The warehouse of old becomes a virtual stockpile of files in the cloud.

Pauline Bullock, director of Rapid 3D, says: "The evolution of materials that we can 3D print with means that we can replicate parts for pretty much every application, which in turn means businesses no longer have to keep an inventory of printer components or car spares, they can just order the required parts online and have them manufactured on demand. It also means that companies can print spare parts that are no longer manufactured, for older machines and vehicles, for instance, and reverse engineer the design for those if need be."

The real strength of the 3D print bureau offering lies in having an online repository of files for customers, so repeat orders can be processed quickly and efficiently. The ability to design for additive manufacturing is an art in itself, and the resulting digital archive that is being built up is fast replacing the storage of moulds and patterns as used in traditional manufacturing processes.

Bullock says: "We help customers refine the design and choose the right substrate for their specific application, so whether it's a once-off item to be produced or a repeat order of multiple items, the process is seamless and they get the right part for the right job."

The benefits of using an additive manufacturing bureau are many. Below are the top five:

* Significantly cheaper than investing in a 3D printer and all of the associated kit;
* Further cost savings in not having to have space to store all of the components and parts that customers might need one day;
* The convenience of being able to outsource an item that can't be produced on your in-house 3D printer;
* Access to experience and expertise in design; and
* A massive range of substrates and the advice to choose the right one.

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