Is your Manufacturing Workflow Competitive?
Learn how you can be competitive by adding Additive Manufacturing technologies to your production workflow. You can be internationally competitive in terms of cost, product innovation, and adaptability to market changes.
Worldwide, Retail Chain Stores are being forced to close their doors permanently.
Why? Because the consumer habits are changing around them and moving online.
The signs were subtle at first. Customers used to mill around the isles, comparing prices on their mobile phones. Then the world went into a forced lock-down. Everybody was stuck at home. So, they started buying online. They discovered that it wasn’t actually that hard. When the lock-down restrictions eased, they continued buying online. One-by-one, the big retailers started announcing store closures.
Retailers who had invested in e-commerce platforms could adjust their operations to support the change to online shopping. Those who hadn’t were left scrambling. For many, it was too little, too late.
What event will make your manufacturing operation obsolete overnight?
3D printing has been around for over 40 years. Each year the technology has improved, solved more manufacturing problems. It has moved past simply being a prototyping tool. Serial part production is now a reality. Digital Manufacturing and Digital Factories are no longer a future dream. BMW, Adidas Speedfactory and, Tesla all employ industrial 3D printing in their workflows.
Product manufacturers are constantly having to evolve their products to adapt quickly to market fluctuations, just to survive. The impact of this on manufacturing includes time-to-production pressures, adaptability, customisability, and costs for new tooling. In the same way that e-commerce was a strategy for retailers, Additive Manufacturing, also known as industrial 3D printing, is a business strategy that can help manufacturers tackle these challenges.
Combining Additive Manufacturing with traditional manufacturing can solve many of the challenges manufacturers are facing.
These are a few of the Key Advantages, Industrial 3D Printing brings to your Manufacturing Operations
Lower Material Use
In a world, where manufacturers are increasingly being forced by legislation, to reduce their impact on the environment, manufacturing waste is becoming a key issue.
Lower material use equals lower production cost.
Lightweight Components
Lightweight designs are becoming more important, as reduced material usage lowers the costs per part.
Lighter parts decrease the weight and in many applications, energy consumption.
Complex Geometries
Industrial 3D printing allows you to manufacture highly complex structures that are both lightweight and stable at the same time.
With 3D printing technology, products can be completely reimagined and a range of diverse structures can be integrated into the same part.
Functional Part Integration
Geometries that reduce the number of parts and therefore post production assembly costs.
Functional integration into a single part can drastically reduce the number of parts, make better use of the available space and significantly reduce assembly costs.
Production on Demand
Inventory and logistics are a significant cost factor. Build virtual inventories and manufacture your spare parts on demand. Reduce your inventory costs, improve your cash-flow.
The high costs involved in storing and shipping rarely ordered parts, can be eliminated by on-demand part production, closer to the point of need — a model known as distributed manufacturing.
Individual Products
No tooling up, no waiting for moulds from the engineering shop.
Industrial 3D printing offers mass customization for needs-based production. Adapt the CAD data and submit the build.
Medium series production, at volumes of up to 100,000 parts per month, are achievable.
Part Production Feasibility
Complex part geometries, that render designs infeasible with traditional manufacturing, are often feasible using industrial 3D printing.
This also allows design innovations that are unconstrained by traditional manufacturing methods.
Design Innovation
3D printing and Additive Manufacturing open a new universe of possibilities for designers and engineers.
Manufacturers can realise almost any conceivable shape into real products. This while cost-efficiently removing tooling and set up costs.
Successfully Introduce and Scale 3D Printing into your Manufacturing Workflow
Rapid 3D is equipped to support our customers throughout their entire journey – from entry into additive manufacturing to factories ready for series production.
As the saying goes, “Nobody was ever fired for buying IBM”.
When you are planning the future of your manufacturing operations, you cannot simply go with anyone.
For the fourth time, the Additive Minds consulting unit of EOS has been named ‘TOP CONSULTANT’ among Germany’s best SMB consultants.
We award those consultants that understand particularly well how to address the special needs of medium-sized companies.
Prof. Dr. Dietmar Fink, Professor of Management Consulting at Bonn-Rhein-Sieg University of Applied Sciences
For over 13 years now, this seal of quality has stood for consulting competence for medium-sized businesses. It is awarded to the best consultants for German SMB’s who have been certified in a scientifically based customer survey, as having the highest SME-oriented degree of consulting competence and, who are characterized by a high level of professionalism, consistent performance, and satisfied customers.
Rapid 3D is one of only four external companies, trained by the core Additive Minds team in Krailling, Germany. As such, we have the full resources and support of the Additive Minds Krailing team, to implement this consulting process in Africa.
We prepare companies to innovate beyond existing boundaries with additive manufacturing. More than 400 successful customer projects show that Additive Minds can take your company to the next level.
Thomas Weitlaner | Director of Additive Minds & Business Development | EOS GmbH
What Can Industrial 3D Printing Do for Your Manufacturing Operation?
The journey into industrial 3D printing starts with first understanding the risks and opportunities.
When you engage with Rapid 3D, we will work with you to determine these risks and opportunities. With a short engagement, you will know if and where you can deploy 3D printing technology into your operations.
Part Selection
Additive Manufacturing encompasses a range of technologies and material options. It is also suited to specific parts. Rapid 3D will work with you to determine which parts are eligible for serialised 3D printing production.
Proof of Concept
Rapid 3D’s sister company, Akhani 3D, a print-to-product 3D printing bureau service, owns and operates a wide range of professional, production, and industrial 3D printers. We work closely with your team and the Akhani 3D team to take a selected part, from part optimisation to serial production. We make sure you can actually achieve the gains you before you invest.
World Class 3D Printers
Rapid 3D are the authorised partners for established, proven, world-class 3D Scanning, 3D Printer, and Additive Manufacturing equipment manufacturers. As such, you will be able to choose from the best technology options available.
