Additive manufacturing, also recognised as 3D printing, is a technology that has been used for quite some time now, and it allows businesses to print out prototypes in a unique way. These prototypes can be tested to ensure they’re an intricate representation of how the final product will look when used in other applications.
These processes are cheaper than mass-producing parts or full-scale products, but they are great opportunities to save on production costs and develop creativity among designers because they can see what the objects will look like before investing in them. It also allows companies to be proactive and reactive to the customer’s needs and dynamic industry standards.
This blog is intended to help companies understand how they can become a leader in their industries by leveraging additive manufacturing.
Reducing Time to Market with Additive Manufacturing
To boost your bottom line and keep your competitive edge sharp, your company needs to be on the cutting edge with new product designs, part upgrades, or solutions to customer problems. Additive manufacturing comes as a differentiator in this situation by helping companies speed up their time to market.
Time to market has a direct bearing on getting ahead of the competition. It’s an advantage that can set your company apart as a leader and an outlier in your industry. What’s more, additive manufacturing enables you to respond quickly to new design and technological trends, pivot swiftly to change your business models, and even customize products based more closely on your customers’ specific desires!
There are many benefits of reducing time to market for companies, as they can gain vital competitive advantages such as –
- Better customer service levels
- New product introduction, and innovation, establishing the company as an industry leader.
- Setting up new business models,
- High-value production support for low and mid-volume
- Increased production adoption rates, and brand commitment
- Cut production costs and set new standards for design, production, and delivery for your competition to follow
How to leverage AM for being a market leader
Five key additive manufacturing technologies and capabilities help companies establish a competitive edge when it comes to speed and innovation, especially in the areas of new product introduction and customer satisfaction.
Prototyping
Traditionally, it has been hard for companies to bring new products to market quickly. Now with the advancements in 3D printing, companies can reduce the amount of time between idea and customer delivery by having a short production cycle. Customers want a fast turnaround on new products, so it’s vital that product designers and engineers provide iteration cycles that enable businesses to pass the feedback along to design teams at short notice. The end result is faster delivery times while minimizing wasted materials!
- Tooling Without Fixtures
Traditional manufacturing methods are no longer needed due to additive manufacturing. New developments in additive manufacturing and solid modeling software now enable engineers and designers to create complex internal lattice structures, lightweight components, and micro components to improve overall functionality. Manufacturers can therefore take advantage of new design improvements from these breakthroughs and can get their products out faster because they no longer need to rely on traditional production processes that involve jigs, fixtures, or tooling.
- Full-Scale Production
Reducing tooling times, improving design flexibility and integrating smart manufacturing technologies are all key enablers for reducing development costs. This is due to the fact that engineers can design multiple iterations of a product in hours, or during an aircraft’s overnight fuselage inspection when the technicians typically dedicate their time to other tasks.
- Local Distribution
On-demand manufacturing and delivery is a great way to save time and money. It takes advantage of modern technology to reduce or eliminate dependencies on warehouses, making it easier for companies to serve dispersed customer bases and support low- and mid-volume production batches with no delays. This underscores how companies can speed time to market with just-in-time manufacturing.
- Distributed Manufacturing
Additive manufacturing does away with tools and custom parts and lets companies leverage the digital thread to ensure consistency and quality of design and manufacture – for faster time to market and faster customer responsiveness. It makes for a collaborative, efficient, and transparent supply chain that benefits the bottom line.
Stay on top of your game with AM
Being the pioneer in your industry or market doesn’t need to be an uphill battle for you anymore. Additive manufacturing processes have been around for decades but are now becoming more mainstream because of how fast 3D printing technology is improving and its steadily decreasing price tag. It provides your business with a competitive edge in being first and getting there fast. So, reach out for more information about how you can integrate this solution into your processes now.
