3D printing is a rising form of manufacturing that can do some pretty fascinating stuff. However, so can other forms of manufacturing. Why does 3D printing stick out? What is so significant about it? Why wouldn’t we just use CNC cutting for our custom products produced on a small scale? First off, let me design what CNC cutting is.
CNC cutting involves getting a block of a specific material, and machining it. This is common within furniture manufacturing, and custom mechanical parts such as gaskets. Essentially, a block of material, whether it is stainless steel, aluminum, or even wood will be brought to a CNC cutter. A block of a specific material will be strapped down to a table under a drill of some kind. The drill will be constantly spinning while going up and down towards the material block.
In addition to that, the table itself will move to different angles so that the drill will be able to cut specific sections of the material. The final product will have been developed from a 3D model, or a blueprint. The computer will control the drill and the table to ensure pretty accurate cutting. The final product will consist of some shape that is cut from a block of aluminum, stainless steel, wood, or any other material. This is definitely an innovative form of manufacturing, but it has some flaws.
Unlike 3D printing, CNC cutting is dependent on a drill, not a layer-by-layer process. The drill can only go down, and that limits what can be developed. CNC cutting is very geometrically limited. 3D printing is almost 100% independent from geometrical attributes. Sure, the product has to have a wall thickness of a certain amount, but so would pretty much anything else.
Imagine getting a widget that was .01 mm thick. That would be flimsy in titanium! Regardless, CNC cutting can only come straight down with a drill. 3D printing creates products by each layer. This means that very organic shapes can be developed. Interesting designs such as a ball within a ball can be produced. 3D printing simply out-does CNC cutting when it comes down to organic shapes.
Another aspect to consider would be the green process of 3D printing compared to the dirty process of CNC cutting. Sure, CNC cutting isn’t necessarily inefficient when it comes down to actually cutting blocks of material, but the process of getting the material there is harmful for the environment. The mining process is bad for the environment; however you could a7rgue the same for 3D printing. When it comes down to recycling shavings of a specific material or creating these “blocks” of material for CNC, it simply isn’t green. For a block of material to be formed, it has to be melted down. The energy used and the emissions caused by melting down these materials are pretty bad for the environment. With 3D printing, all material used is either put inside of the product, or recycled through the machine without a daunting process towards the environment. 3D printing is simply more efficient with recycling, greener for the environment, and stronger when it comes down to manufacturing organic products.
