1、 The core advantage of replacing mold

  1. Significant cost advantage
  • Zero mold investment: Traditional mold opening injection molding can cost tens of thousands of yuan per set of molds, and the cost sharing of a single piece in small batch production can reach 30% -50%. However, 3D printing does not require mold opening and can be produced directly through digital models. Taking a 100 piece order as an example, the cost reduction can reach 86.7%.

High material utilization rate: The utilization rate of 3D printing materials can reach 95%, the waste cost approaches zero, and there is no need to reserve 10% -20% of the traditional process loss margin.

Low trial and error cost: Traditional process design modifications require secondary mold opening, which adds additional costs, while 3D printing only requires modifying digital files, with almost zero cost per iteration.

  1. Delivery and flexibility advantages

Fast delivery: Traditional processes take 4-8 weeks from design confirmation to mass production, while 3D printing can achieve 24-hour fast production. For example, for a certain exhibition model order, traditional processes require a 15 day lead time, while 3D printing only takes 7 days to deliver in advance.

No MOQ restriction: There is no need to stockpile inventory to meet the minimum order quantity, and on-demand production can be achieved, significantly reducing inventory backlog costs and avoiding cash flow occupation.

  • Compatibility with complex structures: It can easily achieve complex geometric shapes that are difficult to process with traditional techniques such as hollowing out and flexible waterways. It can also achieve integrated printing of parts, eliminating the assembly process.
  1. Adapt to multi scenario requirements
  • Small batch and customization: Very suitable for small batch production and personalized customization scenarios, such as e-commerce customized orders, personalized medical device needs, fast prototyping of automotive parts, exhibition model production, etc.

Rapid prototyping verification: can be used for small batch trial production in the new product development stage, quickly completing functional testing, market sample delivery, and seizing market opportunities.

Some scenes can rival traditional processes: industrial grade 3D printing accuracy can reach ± 0.05mm, strength comparable to traditional injection molded parts, materials cover 200+types such as nylon, metal, ceramics, etc., covering 90% of industrial scenes. Some research cases show that the performance of 3D printed car lamp lenses even exceeds traditional processes.

2、 Current limitations

  1. Accuracy and stability: Traditional open mold injection molding has more stable accuracy, while 3D printing accuracy is subject to certain fluctuations due to material and process influences. The printing mold cavity still needs further precision machining to meet the requirements for use.
  2. Shortage of mold life: The lifespan of 3D printing molds is usually several thousand to tens of thousands of mold cycles, far lower than the million mold cycles of traditional forged steel molds, with slightly poorer fatigue resistance and wear resistance.
  3. Cost disadvantage of large-scale production: In large-scale production scenarios, the single piece cost of traditional open mold injection molding still has significant advantages. Currently, the cost and efficiency of 3D printing in large-scale production still need to be further improved.

3、 Summary of Applicable Scenarios

3D printing is not a complete replacement for traditional mold making, but has irreplaceable advantages in small batch customization, rapid prototyping verification, and complex structural component production scenarios, and can serve as an effective supplement to traditional mold making. For large-scale standardized production, traditional open mold injection molding is still a more economical choice.