The main advantages of 3D manufactured parts compared to the traditionally produced ones:
Less weight
3D printed parts benefit from honeycomb structures and hollow pockets. This allows to save material and significantly reduce the weight of the part, as well as the cost of material, compared to CNC-machined aluminum parts.
Less components
3D printing design freedom of complex geometries allows to combine many components into a single print. Reduce assembly time and make parts more robust by eliminating joints and need for assemblies.
Less downtime
Rapid 3D manufacturing of tools, fixtures, jigs and spare parts decreases the production downtime. Robotic grippers, assembly fixtures and jigs can be printed from industrial-grade materials in a few days.
The technology behind 3D manufacturing at Baltic3D:
FDM
Fused Deposition Modeling
FDM machines extrude melted plastic filament to create end-product. FDM allows use of thermoplastics from commonly used ABS and PC to high-grade ULTEM™ and ANTERO™. Wide range of application.
PolyJet
Material Jetting
PolyJet machines form layers of photocurable resins onto a build tray in extremely fine layers. PolyJet can use multiple materials of various colors in a single part. Best for rapid prototyping of consumer goods.
SLS
Selective Laser Sintering
SLS printers use a laser to fuse together a layer of powdered material which is then covered with another dose of material and the cycle repeats. Best for rapid prototyping and low-volume production.