How 3-D Printing Can Affect The Future of Supply Chain Management

Pcmag.com

3D Printing is a fairly new technology that started coming out recently. However, the first working 3D printer was created in 1984 by Charles Hull. This technology is still in development as it has several restrictions that limit its ability to expand to more different industries. In the early days, the cost of the printer as well as its raw materials were quite expensive; preventing many companies from adapting the technology. After seeing how 3D printers can benefit organizations, several companies started embracing the technology; allowing them to cut costs on productions and customizations. As accessibility and applicability of this technology increase, the cost to buy it has reduced over the years.

3D printing or what it is sometimes called "additive manufacturing" refers to how the printer's mechanism works that applies very thin successive layers upon each other until the product or object is complete. The layers range from 0.001 to 0.1 inches in thickness and a wide variety of materials can be used: plastics, resins, rubbers, ceramics, glass, concretes and metals. A 3D printer can print using different colors simultaneously and can take relatively long time to print based on the sophistication of the product.

3ders.org

Above is one of the largest 3D printers in the world created by a chinese company, Qingdao Unique Products Develop Co Ltd. The company wants to use the this massive printer to print houses. This printer is 12 m x 12 m x 12 m in size and it took the company 6 months to develop this giant printer.

After introducing 3D printers to you, you might wonder now how it can affect supply chain management. Well, this technology can drastically reduce the costs of transportation to almost zero. Decentralized manufacturing enables this to happen as each plant has a 3D printer that can print the products they want without the need, for example, to bring them from overseas. This tool can heavily leverage supply chain operational performance in number of other ways, such as reducing inventory, production waste, time-to-market, quicker response to customer demand and improving sustainability.

Even though there are a few positive effects that additive manufacturing can bring to supply chain management, there are some restrictions that prevent this technology to be adoptable nowadays. One of which is size restrictions that stop corporations from printing scalable objects that are larger than the printer itself. Another restriction is printing time that restrains huge manufacturing companies from taking this technology and making it produce mass quantities.

As the 3D printing has disadvantages/restrictions, it also has a positive side that made some of the companies embrace it in its early stages. Mass customization at low price is one of the advantages that can increase manufacturing efficiency. Quality improvement, reducing rework and eliminating penalty for redesigning can all also make production capabilities and efficiency increase as part of the new paradigm of 3D printing.

With all the information mentioned above, it is clear that this technology has more to bring to this world and to our lives. As more companies enter the 3D printing industry, the reduction in the cost of adopting this additive manufacturing tool and an increase in application will make 3D printing more affordable, accessible and technologically advanced.

Sources:

- http://www.3ders.org/articles/20140625-china-building-world-largest-3d-printer-to-construct-houses.html

- ISE Magazine, Vol. 49, Number 4.