3D Printing & Injection Molding for New Product Development

3D Printing & Injection Molding for New Product Development

3D printing technology and injection molding technology, both compete with each other. When utilized in synergy, however, these technologies deliver exceptional results. 3D printing and injection molding both help in rapid prototyping as well as in new product development. Despite the trend for different kinds of 3D printing processes is rising, the actual product manufacturing is done with injection molding. On the other hand, 3D printing proves to be a more effective and popular approach for rapid prototyping.

If you want to learn specifically about 3D printing, read this blog. If you want to learn specifically about injection molding, read this blog. If you just want a quick comparison between 3D printing and injection molding, then continue reading.

3D Printing & Injection Molding

Well now, what is the difference between 3D printing and injection molding? 3D printing and injection molding are both completely different. There are different types of 3D printing techniques, but among them, the most prevalent one is Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM). The FDM 3D printing technique works by melting the material, commonly plastic, and shaping an object by ejecting the molten material, one drop at a time in succession. The FDM 3D printer follows inputs from a design file, created by the CAD software, and basically “prints” the object layer by layer.

Injection molding, on the other hand, works by melting the material and injecting it with pressure into a pre-designed metal mold. The mold, usually of steel or aluminum, has a cavity of a certain shape in which the molten material is forcefully filled. The molten material in the cavity of the mold stays for a while to cool and harden. Once the material is sufficiently cool, the mold opens, and the material is ejected, as a definite object.

What about the time? 3D printing a single object takes considerable time than a single injection mold cycle. In order to 3D print a complex object, it might take many hours. Whereas, injection molding can produce the same object in a matter of minutes, provided that there is a definite mold for the object, made and available beforehand.

What about the cost? Injection molding, especially for a basic object or part, is substantially more expensive than 3D printing. When it comes to new product development, you first need to design the prototype of your product. In the case of 3D printing, this prototype design will be the first and last step. Once you have the prototype design, all you need to do is upload it to the 3D printer and press “print.” In a matter of minutes or hours, depending on the complexity, you will have your part ready.

In the case of injection molding, prototype design is the first step. After prototype design, the next step is designing and creating a definitive steel or aluminum mold, which helps produce the part. Making this mold is actually very expensive. Nevertheless, with the mold ready, you will be able to create numerous identical parts, which may prove economical in the long run.

What is the future of product manufacturing? Now, one thing is certain, the 3D printing technology is advancing quickly. Currently in the market, there are different types of 3D printers available. Among those, the most common type is a Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) 3D printer. FDM can efficiently 3D print plastic parts. It does prove to be ideal and economical for creating plastic parts for product prototypes.

When used in conjunction with injection molding, however, the overall product development or product manufacturing will prove to be efficient and cost-effective. For product prototype development, you should use 3D printing. After developing the prototype and enhancing it to make it free from any defect or error and ready for mass production, you should employ injection molding, through which you can manufacture parts in bulk quantity, swiftly and inexpensively.

New product development is never easy. It demands significant time, money, efforts, and resources. A coherent approach to new product development, however, can ease the heartache of manufacturing new products.

Need help with new product design and product development? Get in touch with GID Development Corporation today. GID Development Corporation is one of the leading product development companies in the US. Based in California, GID Development Corporation provides agile and economical product design, rapid prototyping, product development, product manufacturing, and other product fulfillment services.

No matter how complex the conceived gadget or product is, GID Development Corporation, an expert product development company in California, will help you realize it. To learn more about GID Development Corporation, visit https://www.gidcompany.com/.

Have any questions regarding 3D printing, injection molding, product design, or product development? GID Development Corporation is offering a 15-minute, FREE telephonic consultation. Just call Jim Grimes at 714-323-1052 between 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM PST.

Product Prototyping – 3D Printing, CNC Machining & Plastic Injection Molding

Product Prototyping – 3D Printing, CNC Machining & Plastic Injection Molding

Prototype development of your conceived product is vital. A product prototype is the first physical form of an imagined product idea. It enables the inventor to actually touch and feel the perceived product. It also allows the inventor to perform various tests and make necessary changes to make the final product better. Not to forget, a product prototype is a proof of concept, enabling the inventor to pitch to potential stakeholders about the conceived product and attract more funds for the mass production.

When it comes to product prototype development, it is helpful to consider the various tools available and the different processes used for making different parts of a conceived product. Product prototype development can be carried out using one of the following three methods: 3D printing (additive manufacturing), CNC machining (subtractive manufacturing), and plastic injection molding.

3D Printing

3D printing or additive manufacturing is one of the rapid prototyping techniques that constructs 3D objects by successively depositing material in layers such that it becomes a predefined shape. In the past few years, contemporary 3D printing has been very successful for rapid prototype development, but it is gradually starting to make its impact on the product manufacturing realm as well.

CNC Machining

CNC machining or subtractive manufacturing is a technique that constructs 3D objects by successively cutting away the material from a block of solid material. Typically, a CNC machine is employed in order to cut away the material and give a definite shape. Modern CNC machines utilize several tools and cut at three axes to nine axes such that they minimize the need for operators to flip the block. One of the cardinal benefits of CNC machining is the ability to construct predefined metal parts swiftly and accurately. 3D printing, in the case of metal, does construct parts accurately, but it is relatively slower than CNC machining. Therefore, for those product prototypes that require both plastic and metal parts, it is useful to use 3D printing for plastic parts and CNC machining for metal parts.

Plastic Injection Molding

Plastic injection molding is a popular technique that constructs an object by injecting the material, with high pressure, into a mold. Once the product design engineers finalize the product design, definitive molds are made from either steel or aluminum, which are then fitted on the injection molding machine. The material is then fed into the machine, which passes through the mold and ejects as the predefined shape.

Which Method Should You Employ?

Each method is better suited for different situations. For instance, suppose you want to build a single product prototype just to get the feel of your conceived idea, run basic tests, and/or prove your concept to potential stakeholders. In such a case, if it is all plastic, you can employ 3D printing. If it is all metal, you can employ CNC machining. If it is an amalgamation of both plastic and metal, then you can employ 3D printing to produce plastic parts and CNC machining to produce metal parts. You can then assemble the plastic and metal parts to form the prototype and do whatever you wish to do with the prototype.

Now, suppose you want to create several identical product prototypes, which contain both plastic and metal parts, for consumer testing and market research. In such a case, you will need to employ plastic injection molding for plastic parts and CNC machining for metal parts. Plastic injection molding enables you to produce a moderate quantity of parts quite swiftly and economically. Once you have both the plastic and metal parts, you can assemble them to form several identical prototypes, which you can use for consumer testing and market research.

Despite the popular methods available, product prototype development can be tough, especially if you do not have a definitive product design for your conceived product. Besides, testing product prototypes and making them better are also some of the difficult challenges, which you may not be able to face it on your own. For that reason, it is sensible to partner with a product development company that employs different rapid prototyping techniques, including 3D printing, CNC machining, and plastic injection molding.

GID Development Corporation is a leading product design and product development company in the US. They offer quick and economical product design, rapid prototyping, product development, and other product fulfillment services to inventors in the US as well as across the globe. When it comes to product prototype development, experienced industrial engineers at GID Development Corporation first utilize the 3DEXPERIENCE platform from Dassault Systèmes, which includes tools like CATIA V6, 3DVIA, BIOVIA, SOLIDWORKS, etc., to create and test product designs virtually. After achieving a definitive product design, the skilled industrial engineers employ 3D printing, CNC machining, plastic injection molding, or a combination of these methods to produce accurate product prototypes. The engineers at GID Development Corporation also have the experience and in-depth knowledge that help them test the prototype and make it better.

So if you need help with product prototype development, just contact GID Development Corporation. Whether it is a simple prototype development, like for sports products, or an intricate prototype development, like for complex electromechanical products or medical products, GID Development Corporation will “GET IT DONE!”

To learn more about the leading product design and product prototype development company in the US, GID Development Corporation.

Have any queries regarding product prototyping? Just call Jim Grimes at 714-323-1052 between 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM PST, for a 15-minute FREE telephonic conference. He will answer to various questions regarding rapid prototyping, 3D printing, CNC machining, and plastic injection molding.

5 Reasons Why 3D Printing is Used in New Product Development

5 Reasons Why 3D Printing is Used in New Product Development

Whether we are manufacturing a spaceship, a paper clip or anything related to the automobile industry, we are all searching to make something efficient, i.e. faster, better and cheaper. Any innovator or entrepreneur who has tried to accomplish these traits in a single project has realized the challenges of meeting these criteria. Fortunately, due to a remarkable growth in the 3D printing technology over the past decade, triumphing these goals is now a very real possibility.

We are the GID Development Corporation – an American product development company with more than four decades of experience. Here, we explain the top five reasons why 3D printing is widely used in new product development.

  1. Product Designers can Easily Prototype More Iterations Without Exceeding the Timeline or Budget

CAD (Computer Aided Design) software ascended as a useful tool for transforming a concept into a product. This CAD software made it easy for product designers to test their design to a certain extent. However, as tried and tested as the product design software may be, there comes a stage when it’s just easier and quicker to examine the design in real life conditions to receive the useful feedbacks.

3D printing is one of the best solutions, but on the condition that a product designer is not controlled by order approvals and lengthy lead times for product prototypes. Waiting for a product prototype to arrive chokes the creativity of a product designer before moving ahead with the product design. Well, in such a critical scenario, having an in-house access to a 3D printing keeps the product designers’ creativity rolling by offering them more iterations to test in a lesser time frame. With the use of 3D printing, instead of waiting for a design to finish for prototype, product designers can prototype earlier in the design cycle and pinpoint necessary modifications that are needed to be made.

Furthermore, 3D printing also facilitates product designers to split the model into a certain section and just print that portion to prototype and test. Use of 3D printing reduces the print time, decreases the time it requires to get reviews and reduces the overall cost of product prototype development.

  1. Better Collaboration Resulting in Improved Design and Manufacturability

3D printed parts can be used to test and validate a product design, and they can also be used to communicate the design intent to the marketing department, manufacturers and suppliers. As the sales and marketing team can physically see the design ahead of time, they get sufficient time to summarize a potent marketing plan to support the product and to overcome the prevailing competition. Moreover, by sharing a model with your product development company and suppliers will help them determine whether the product can be manufactured within the fixed budget or not. 3D printing helps you identify issues that could hinder the manufacturing process.

You can offer your manufacturers and suppliers an accurate representation of the end product that could help them avert any miscommunication when interpreting the CAD models.

  1. Field Testing Prototypes That Resemble The Final Product Provide Insight Into Potential Design Flaws

With the advancement in the 3D printing technology, the availability of the material choices for 3D printing has come a long way, including a wide variety of material such as, urethane rubbers, water-clear acrylics and full color palettes. In some cases, the actual raw material such as polycarbonate, ABS, and nylon to name a few are used to 3D print. Whereas, in other cases, it can be employed to produce blow molds, injection molds, and patterns for silicone molding.

This allows the development of a product prototype in a material that is actually not available for 3D printing. Field testing a product prototype similar to a manufactured part will generate useful data and could help duck expensive mistakes and modifications later in the product development lifecycle.

  1. Seeing Is Believing

As 3D printing allows the development of product prototype using the actual raw material, targeted customers could test the product without knowing they are holding a prototype. Something that looks and feels like a finished product helps confirm the goals set for the product have been reached. It is advantageous in both the ways; first, it helps you build faith in the product within your organization; and second, it helps you find stakeholders for your project.

  1. Improved Customer Satisfaction

Plenty of design iterations and the succeeding testing of a new product help to make sure you are offering the end-users the best product against their investment. 3D printed product prototypes lead to a successful finished product because vital decisions about the function and feel of the product were made early on in the design process.

About The GID Development Corporation

The GID Development Corporation is a custom product design and manufacturing company based in California. With more than four decades of industry experience, GID specializes in manufacturing new / custom products for different industries, including aerospace, automotive, healthcare, and lifestyle to name a few.

If you have a revolutionary, million-dollar idea that can steer the market in your favor, then come to us. We can help you bring your idea to life in the most lucrative manner.

Product Development Company, Explains How 3D Printing is Reviving Retail Industry

3D Printing

Product Development Companies across the globe uses 3D printers in manufacturing new products having a unique set of features. Few years before, 3D printing was a unique category and posh technology with limited real-world application; hence, its use was limited and restricted to specific manufacturing processes. However, with the advancement in manufacturing technologies, 3D printing is widely used in manufacturing products for different industries, including healthcare, aerospace, automotive, musical instruments, and consumer durable products to name a few. As per a report from “ReportBuyers”, the demand for 3D printing across the globe is forecasted to grow at a CAGR of 45 percent over the period 2014-2019. – The Global 3-D Printing Market to be worth $21.5 Billion by 2025.

As 3D printing is likely to transform into one of the groundbreaking business technologies that every office will have by 2020, the retail industry is enjoying specific help from inventions developed with 3D printing.

Simplified Product Prototype Development Process

A product development company uses 3D printing as a common tool for product prototype development; however, it recently gained grip among retailers and investors. According to John Hauer, CEO and Co-Founder of 3DLT, the easy use of rapid prototyping a custom product with the help of 3D printers will guide to more localized product development, which will help decrease supply chain expenses and produce a superior product from the foundation. He also stated that due to revolutionary advancement in 3D printing technology, product’s time to market is reduced drastically, possibly as well-designed new products with useful customer reaction as they are able to test a fully functional prototype of the product.

John Hauer also said that retailers normally spend thousands of dollars – and sometimes millions and billions – trying to predict what varieties of products they should be purchasing. 3D printing allows product manufacturing companies to produce and supply custom products in limited quantities in real times, offering honest vision into which products will truly create demand. For instance, if a 3D prototype is acclaimed by end-users, it can then be bulk manufactured through traditional manufacturing processes to satisfy rising demand.

More Selection in the Cloud with Less Cost

Retailers like Staples are carrying 3D printing to their store locations to check the value of offering the service to their clients and simultaneously, making them aware about the technology.

Imagine 3D printing as a workshop in the cloud that facilitates a retailer to provide thousands of extra SKUs to its end-users without demanding more space for inventory. As a 3D-Printed product normally occur as a template saved to the cloud, the product is set to be developed in intended amounts once a purchaser is planning to buy or the request is there for a specific product line.

The retailer and consumer both gain from reduced supply chain expenses, along with the ease of using a product from a mutual network. John Hauer said, “The idea that you can have a product when you want and where you want—there’s some value to that. Maybe consumers will be willing to pay more for that.”

With every passing day, more and more businesses consider 3D printing along with other progressive technologies such as the Wearable Tech and Internet of Things, prospects for innovation. The future of 3D printing is very bright, and as an entrepreneur, if you don’t focus on advantages offered by these emerging business tools, then unfortunately, you are likely to be left behind.

To know more about how 3D printing and other relative technologies can help your business flourish, feel free to contact product development experts at 714-323-1052. GID is a product development company based in California, USA, having a strong portfolio of innovative product development. Professional services of qualified and experienced product designers and engineers at the GID Development Corporation guarantees long-term success. To discuss the feasibility of your concept, contact them at https://www.gidcompany.com/contact-us.

Prospective of 3D Printing Explained by Product Development Company, California

GID Company - 3D Printing USA

In the last three decades, the use of 3D printing in the arena of new product development has progressed from costly prototyping technology used by an elite few to a flourishing industry, manufacturing both smaller-scale goods and fully functional parts and components for aerospace, automotive, and more.

However, a question arises between the product development companies if this blossoming technology really proves to be the cornerstone of the next industrial revolution.

Considering the prevailing hype around 3D printing, most users were surprised when “3D Systems Corp.,” a renowned manufacturer of 3D printers and other accessories, recently lowered its profit estimates for 2013 and its projection for 2014. The closing sharp-drop in shares led some to predict that the powerful industry could be heading to a dead end.

What is the Future of 3D Printing?

Looking at the current scenario, it seems like the market bubble may have busted, and the lasting potential of this technology has not been changed, especially when it comes to manufacturing of mainstream products. Mainstream and profitable industries such as automotive and aerospace already depend and make use of 3D printing in their production procedures. Rolls Royce and General Electric, for instance, are both planning to develop 3D printed components for their individual jet engines, and automotive king Ford has been using the technology to print test parts for years.

The use of 3D printing is no more limited in manufacturing of automotive, aerospace, and other expensive commodities, but is also utilized by small-scale industries like toys, consumer products, and many others. As per a report released by McKinsey & Co., there are countless benefits of 3D printing over other development technologies, and they are as follows:

  1. Accelerated Product Development Cycles: At the time of new product development, 3D printing allows a product development company to thrust the process of product development. It helps in accelerating the R&D process in a lucrative manner, eventually reducing product-launch risk and time to market. However, it will demand a powerful supply chain that can keep up with accelerated production rate without making any compromise in quality of products.
  1. Allows Framing New Product Development Strategies and Footprints: As the expenses drop and capabilities escalate, 3D printing could be used to manufacture more parts; however, this does not imply that every part is made this way. A strategy should be framed about which parts will extract the maximum advantage from the technology. Product development companies must also look out for the framing of industry standards regarding printing materials, which could influence both price and footprint decisions.
  1. Increasing Sources of Revenue: 3D printing has the tendency to decrease the complication and the expense behind some production types, inspiring companies to set apart their goods in other ways, such as providing personalized designs to a wide customer base. The capability to develop replacement parts could also alter the structure of aftermarket services.
  1. New Capabilities: If product manufacturing companies desire to develop profitable new products, then they must not only perk-up their design knowledge in terms of 3D printing but they must also have product designers and engineers who can overcome the technical encounters of tuning print materials, so they reap the most out of them.

Product development companies that adopted 3D printing in their early stage will be in the best position to extract maximum benefit of the technology, once it really come into its own. If you still have any questions or queries regarding how 3D printing can help you in manufacturing new product for your potential customers, then contact GID, a product design, prototype, and development company in California, USA.

Moreover, you can browse our portfolio to explore our proficiency and professionalism in the field of new product manufacturing. If you had that eureka moment and are planning to develop profitable products out of that for your end-users, then give us call at 714-323-1052. We also offer free, no-obligation quote and consultation.