It may sound like something from a sci-fi movie—a machine that prints out actual models of designs, rather than two-dimensional renderings on paper—but three-dimensional printing is not only real, it has established a beachhead with businesses of all kinds in recent years.
As prices on the machines fall, small business owners, particularly those such as industrial or architectural designers using computer aided design, or CAD, for product development, are accessing the technology. Some are buying their own machines; others outsource their designs to another business that provides this service.
The technology works hand in hand with 3D CAD models by building up microscopic layers of plastic resin and hardening them with ultraviolet light similar to what dentists use for porcelain fillings. The print beds are typically about 20 inches square and can print up to 10 inches high; they can also print out multiple designs at once. That means an entrepreneur can load up designs, press Print, close up for the night and find fully completed product models the next morning.
Big business, such as the auto and aerospace industries, have been using the technology since the 1980s. Compared with hand-tooled modeling, the process has provided cost savings of up to 50% and time savings of nearly 70% , according to Fort Collins, Colo.-based Wohlers Associates, a consultancy that tracks 3D printing. Wohlers says only 38,000 3D printers have been sold worldwide since the 1980s, compared with about 2.5 million CAD seats currently in existence. There’s been a double-digit percentage increase in sales over the past five years as prices have come down.
The cost can be pretty steep for some of the best, state-of-the art machines—from $250,000 to over $1 million. But on the low end, businesses can purchase a very basic machine for a few thousand dollars. Some top vendors include Stratasys, Bits from Bytes and Z Corp. And numerous companies, such as Shapeways in the Netherlands and Solid Concepts in Valencia, Calif., provide the service affordably on an outsource basis.
Manhattan-based Tech-Designs, which builds prototypes of jewelry designs, operates seven three-dimensional printing machines to print out models for jewelry makers throughout the United States. It primarily uses printers produced by Solidscape.
Crain’s New York Business contributor Jeremy Quittner spoke with company founder Carlos Zamora. Following is an edited version of their conversation.
Crain’s: How long have you been using 3D printing and why?
Zamora: I have been using 3D printing since I started the company in 2004. We make prototype models for jewelry companies. Designers will come to us with the idea of making a piece of jewelry, and we will discuss it and make it in 3D using CAD programs, and after that we will produce the model. We don’t do the production work, we only make the first prototype model to study and market it.
Before, such models were all handmade, and depending on the model, we might make an average of one a day. If I make a model in a day, and my customer picks it up and realizes this is not what he was looking for, if the changes are dramatic, I have to start over.
If I design using a computer, it is a lot easier. You just change a few steps, and the model is fixed.
Crain’s: How much have you spent on the machines, and what are the ongoing operating costs for the technology?
Zamora: I’ve spent about $500,000 on the equipment since 2004. I have seven machines. Most of them cost about $45,000. I have one that cost $130,000. They run six days a week, 24 hours a day. The operating costs are about $1,000 per month. Maintenance for each machine is about $5,000 per year. But the machines pay for themselves. I can do more volume of work.
Crain’s: So the cost is worth it to you?
Zamora: It is. I can produce a lot more models, and the machines can run overnight, so at end of the day, I finish the model on the computer, and the next day the machines are pretty much done. If it were not for those printers, I would need more people, maybe 10 employees carving waxes, and maybe even more. So this has saved me 10 full-time salaries. It has paid for itself.
Crain’s: How much time would you estimate this has this saved you?
Zamora: I am producing five times faster, which means I can be more competitive.
Crain’s: What are the drawbacks?
Zamora: My older machines are slower. My newest machine, though it’s a different technology and I am not as happy with it [because it requires more steps to build models than the other machines], can produce something like 50 rings in a day. The older machines can do maybe five.
Crain’s: How important is 3D printing to your business?
Zamora:. There are a lot of jewelry companies outsourcing to China now, and I could not compete with those prices and the labor. If it were not for this, I don’t think I’d be in business. It means I can be price-competitive and keep the work here in the United States.