Additive Manufacturing Is Cheaper Than You Think

Today’s buzz around 3D printing promises a future of mass individualization, a market-of-one paradigm. The ability to make individually customized parts is a unique opportunity for additive manufacturing with 3D printers. On the opposite end of the spectrum, high-throughput manufacturing technologies such as injection molding offer the economies of scale for producing very large volumes of identical parts. But where is the cross-over point? Assuming we can make the same quality parts with either approach, there must be a lot size between one and many where the costs are equal. »