5 Ways Micro 3D Printing is a Manufacturing Game-Changer

Before the advent of micro 3D printing, the world of micro manufacturing looked quite different than it does today.

The landscape of micro parts meant putting up with low-resolution 3D printing with weak materials that didn't hit the mark, in turn forcing manufacturers into expensive and time-consuming micro machining (swiss machining) or costly micro injection molding. 

The only other way to play in that space is through CAD simulation, which is acceptable only to a point. Physical objects - in other words, prototypes - become an essential part of moving from concept to product.  

The case for prototyping is clear, and micro 3D printing has opened new doors in this realm. It gives manufacturers a way to offset the high costs and delays associated with the traditional prototyping process. It also allows you to rapidly prototype on a micro-scale at a more cost-effective price point. Depending on your application materials and volumes, micro 3D printing may also be the best solution for production.  

Thanks to micro DLP printing technology, it's now entirely possible to take your design right from prototype and iteration to production without tooling costs and delays. And it becomes all the more relevant in medical device manufacturing due to the biocompatible materials available through this microtechnology. 

While many types of 3D printing exist, they each drop off in printing features under 40 microns, often losing resolution and dimensional control. Micro 3D printing revolutionizes 3D printing by picking up at the edge of small features. That's its sweet spot – going as small as a print tolerance of +/- 10 microns. 

Let's dive a little deeper into five ways micro 3D printing is a manufacturing game-changer.

1. Lower Costs from Start to Finish

With traditional micro machining and micro injection molding technologies, customers typically did not have the luxury of prototyping at all.  And if they did, they'd face high costs and delays at the prototype stage. 

Essentially, organizations could expect to pay as much $100,000 or more for a precision micro injection molding tool. Plus, that upfront investment would only get you sample parts for the first design iteration, which could potentially have design flaws. That is a high bar for anyone to consider. This dilemma often leads to conservative designs, costly retooling, or complete retooling down the line. 

In the world of micro 3D printing, you're looking at the cost of a couple of hundred dollars to low thousands to build a prototype. From a pure cost comparison perspective, the differences are noteworthy, as shown on the diagram below.

When production costs and economies of scale come into play with micro DLP, further cost savings emerge. Considering tooling costs, excess inventory and future design changes, micro 3D printing can lead to exponential savings. 

2. Shorter Go-To-Market Timelines by Eliminating Tooling

With micro 3D printing, lead times are significantly reduced and there are no minimum order quantities. The process of micro DLP enables manufacturers to prototype and iterate on designs rapidly. Coupled with few forced design concessions and lower costs for each design iteration, the wheels are in motion a lot sooner. When comparing technologies at a glance, consider time spans necessary to get to a prototype or production part: 

• Micro 3D printing: Days, not weeks

• Injection molding: 4-12 weeks 

• Micro machining: Weeks to months 

In manufacturing, of course, it’s all about go-to-market time. The ability to launch your product more swiftly than your competition not only gives you a clear competitive advantage, but a quicker return on investment. To that end, micro DLP helps you identify mistakes and flaws early in the process, helping to accelerate your production timeline and reach (or exceed) those go-to-market goals. Moving from concept to saleable product is the ultimate goal - so the sooner that happens, the better for your bottom line.  

If you’ve experienced lagging design cycles firsthand, check out 5 Signs It's Time to Speed up Your Design Cycle for ideas to put into motion.  

Also, dive into a case study/customer success story which demonstrates how accelerated go-to-market timelines allowed one client to beat out the competition. 

3. More Design Freedom for Complex Geometries  

Micro 3D printing gives you the flexibility to incorporate features that aren’t possible with micro injection molding or machining. For many projects, that translates into better performance, the ability to combine components into a single part, and lower costs. 

Micro DLP is a 3D printing process that makes miniaturization possible with incredible precision, resolution and accuracy. Thanks to the emerging field of microfabrication, it enables manufacturing companies to make huge advances.

Typically, particular manufacturing processes rule design restrictions. A number of traditional technologies are restrictive and limiting. Micro 3D printing has changed that, allowing generative design and organic shapes to become available on a micro scale. Some examples of miniature applications that can be achieved include:  

• Undercuts

• Channels

• Internal structures

• Passageways

• Exciting capabilities in fluidics and microneedles 

4. Seamless Transition from Prototype to Production

All things considered, micro 3D printing can also be the most attractive option for low and mid-volume production. In fact, lower volume projects that used to be impractical due to high upfront tooling costs are now viable. Oftentimes, it is more cost effective to print micro parts, even with annual volumes in the hundreds of thousands.  

When compared to micro machining, micro 3D printing is significantly less expensive and faster. This is possible because micro 3D printing avoids tens of thousands of dollars in tooling costs and can cut months off of a project timeline. As an added benefit, it also allows for smaller production runs - only producing what is actually needed now - and quick, frictionless design changes.

5. Simplified Supply Chain to Drive Higher ROI   

Once you move into production supply chain, management becomes an important part of the picture. Micro 3D printing significantly streamlines and simplifies this by eliminating tooling, reducing inventory by only ordering the parts you need and enabling on-the-fly design changes.  

By working with a one-stop-shop like Empire Group - versus managing multiple vendor partners - you will not only cut costs, but streamline operations. Instead of juggling multiple shops, actions, and supply chains, you simply lean on one partner. It’s also important to note that by partnering with a US company rather than outsourcing abroad, the risk of supply chain disruption drops dramatically. 

Micro 3D Printing in Action: A Breakthrough Case Study 

Empire Group’s partners at Bionaut Labs are blazing new trails with a fascinating application. Imagine a micro robot that can travel through your body to deliver a medicinal payload to a target. That’s essentially what Bionaut Labs is doing: targeting areas of the body to treat cancerous tumors. Micro 3D printing makes projects like this one possible; there would have been no alternative way to create the product. Empire Group produced several variations of designs quickly and is now moving into low-volume productions. 

To learn about this project and more on the topic, download our educational presentation,   How New DLP Printing Technologies Are Transforming Additive Manufacturing.

Considering Whether Micro 3D Printing is a Fit for Your Next Project?

Have an outside-the-box project - one that's not cut and dry - with no endpoint in sight? 

By partnering to provide end-to-end product development support, Empire Group empowers our clients to move forward faster, with adaptability and assurance through every stage of product development, from vision to production. We offer a full suite of support: from designers to engineers and production managers, our team of experts partners with you to create cutting-edge products and get them to market quickly and cost effectively. 

Because Empire Group offers exceptional expertise and technology, all under one roof,  you’ll get experienced industrial designers and engineers from the outset, with a single point of contact that simplifies an otherwise complex process. No matter where you are in the process, we’ll meet you there.

Empire Group is pioneering breakthrough micro 3D printing technologies, and is the only manufacturing company with this capability.

In search of more information on this topic? Explore our white paper: Introduction to 3D Printing with Micro DLP.

Could your next project benefit from micro 3D printing? Contact us today, and we'll connect you with one of our micro 3D printing experts.