3 Common Misconceptions About 3D Printers

3D printing technology has certainly advanced within the last few years, making it one of the most notable advancements in fabrication technologies on the market today. However, with all this popularity, there have been a lot of misconceptions about these types of machines. Unfortunately, there aren’t many people who have the knowledge to correct it, which is why these misconceptions spread so far so easily. Read on to understand some of the most common misconceptions surrounding 3D printers.

They Are Easy To Use

One of the biggest misconceptions surrounding 3D printers is that they are extremely easy to use. Unfortunately, this could not be further from the truth. 3D printing requires a lot of experience and know-how, something that many in the field do not have. This is because 3D printing is not just dealing with a 3D printer. Rather, it is dealing with computer-aided design software that allows you to specify exactly how you want your product. In reality, one must first learn how to use this drawing software to ensure that they fully know the design process before printing.

You’ll Never Need To Upgrade Your System

Another common misconception surrounding 3D printing is that you’ll never have to upgrade your system. This could not be further from the truth, as 3D printers are designed to be modular pieces of technology that can get a wide variety of upgrades. Some of the biggest upgrades that you can expect to have in your 3D printer would be an auto leveler or a printing enclosure. In some cases, your update could even be an upgraded hot end to be able to deal with the new filaments that the 3D printing filament manufacturers come up with.

3D Printing Prints Lightning Fast

While it is true that 3D printing is an extremely fast manufacturing technology, it is still somewhat slow compared to other processes such as injection molding. For some reason, many people seem to think that you could print out any number of objects in a short period of time. However, the FDM process does not lend itself to fast manufacturing. So if you are looking to manufacture a wide variety of objects quickly, we recommend looking at another production method instead.

We hope you’ve enjoyed our recap of some of the most common misconceptions surrounding 3D printers. If you are looking to get into 3D printing today, we suggest jumping in from the start. There is no better way to learn about this type of technology than by getting firsthand experience.