At present, many companies choose to outsource their rapid prototyping to outside bureaus. This means that there is no capital expenditure required for in-house RP systems and that prototypes can be produced as and when required.
However, the traditional path is rapidly changing. There are 3 reasons why RP is being brought in-house by companies of all sizes:
Shorter Design Iterations - If a company can produce more prototypes in a shorter space of time, that can only be of benefit. The length of design iterations can be dramatically reduced, meaning lower design costs coupled with improved end product performance.
Data Security - New product design is naturally fraught with concerns about security. Many designers are becoming increasingly concerned about emailing their 3D designs to outside bureaus, and likewise about receiving prototypes through the post.
Prototyping Costs - The stumbling block to bringing RP in-house is often cost. A recent study has shown that a company spending £30,000 a year on RP can halve their costs by bringing the process in-house. This figure includes depreciation on the machine itself.
Specialist rapid prototype bureaus play an important role in the design industry, but many companies want to break free from time and cost constraints.
The Figures Speak for Themselves
For most companies that produce rapid prototypes on a regular basis, owning a 3D Printer makes financial sense.
Here is an example of a typical company with four seats of SolidWorks. They previously outsourced £20,000 a year to RP bureaus. Since buying an Objet Desktop 3D Printer they have found that...
- 25% of prototyping is still outsourced for functional reasons, leaving a £15,000 internal budget
- £5,000 a year covers depreciation and maintenance
- That leaves £10,000 a year for materials and labour
- Service bureaus typically charge 4 x actual model costs
- £10,000 = £40,000 spending power + the extra £5,000 still subcontracted = £45,000 a year of prototypes
- That is more than double the original number of parts
However these cost benefits are only part of the story. How much would it save your business to cut down the time taken for each design iteration? How much would it cost your company if your product designs were inadvertently misplaced? How much more innovative could you be if you could produce rapid prototypes
"The Objet Connex500 has brought about a major change to our entire product design process. We can now produce high-quality models with excellent accuracy and very fine details in far less time."