# Other > Off Topic >  What are the disadvantages of 3D Printing?

## Hyderette

There are plenty of advantages of 3D printing for almost all types of  printing business. It also cut the edge of printing industry. The  question is what are it's disadvantages that threatens business  branding?

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## MysteryAlabaster

Well... You have to buy plastic and pay for electricity...


The fact that nobody else has come forward with anything else makes me think that these are the ONLY two problems...

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## RobH2

I'm not sure I understand your question. In what way to you connect "branding" to the advantages/disadvantages of 3d printing? I'm not trying to be a wisenheimer.

Branding is somewhat separate from actual business activity, be it 3d printing or dog grooming. When you build a brand, you build public awareness for your company and many times it not about the end product. If you could elaborate on what you are trying to think about here I think there might be some good discussion as branding is very important to any business. But as a purist I don't see how 3d printing could be detrimental. Without doing anything at all, I think that just mentioning 3d printing will have an overall positive effect because it's the "latest thing" and the public is a buzz about it. So far, nothing except a few news stories about printing hand guns has tainted its reputation. 

I think I see some interesting discussion potential in your question if you can be a little more concrete about what you are trying to convey.

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## Davo

What are the disadvantages of a fork? It's great for salad, good for beans, lousy for soup.

Additive manufacturing makes quick work of geometries that are difficult or impossible with traditional, subtractive manufacturing - but don't expect to see subtractive methods disappear. The smart manufacturer will use the best technology to do the job, including a combination of the two.

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## RobH2

Davo makes a good point and reiterates one that I've tried to convey a few times. 3d printing is not going to replace the "world of manufacturing." It's a useful tool and most definitely affords us with some capabilities that we never had before. Building objects inside other objects real time is an incredible process. Few other manufacturing processes could even come close to that. What 3d printing is going to allow us to do is facilitate traditional manufacturing techniques and add new capabilities. It will become integral in the scope of manufacturing but it's not going to make every other method of making parts obsolete, ever. It's just too easy and cheap to injection mold 100's of parts per minute. 

One thing that 3d printing can't do yet is work without having a flat side stuck to a plate. Even with the resin/laser/sintering 3d technologies, the part has to touch somewhere, so there is a flat spot and a directionality that has to be considered when planning the print. In many other traditional manufacturing processes, contact points and flat spots are non-existent. 

So in the end non-users of the 3d printing need to understand that it's in an incredible tool and one capable of things that were only dreams a few years ago. But, it's only one new tool in the much larger tool-belt that represents the world of manufacturing. It does bring a type of manufacturing plant into the homes of regular people, but it's not going to supplant the majority of manufacturing.

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## Davo

Well said, sir.

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## Trapist

I have heard some concerns about piracy in connection with 3D printing files.  Apparently the PirateBay now has a section just for that.  If things are open source then more power to them.  If things that people worked blood, sweat and tears for that can better humanity, they deserve to be fairly compensated. 

Obviously this is an inherent disadvantage to 3D printing, but I think as 3D gains ground, this will be an issue of concern.

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## RobH2

Yea, it's unfortunate that we have to deal with criminals on a daily basis. I've been consistent in my advice here, never put anything on Thingiverse or similar if you think it has mass appeal. You'll lose it forever. At worst, put it on Quirky.com or something and at least you'll have a fighting chance to maybe get it produced for sale. 

Don't get me wrong, I do like "open-source" development and sharing ideas. It's a great and noble philosophy. But, there is nothing wrong with making some money on a good idea. "Open-source" works well for software but I don't think it's a model that is suited to hardware. I realize that without open-source hardware, RepRap would not exist. It certainly provided a foundation for RepRap printers to explode on the market, but, for accessories and clever upgrades, I have no problem with people making some cash. 

Bottom line, protect your ideas, don't just give them away and always get a Non-Disclosure signed if you share the idea (that is, any idea that you don't wish to just give away) with anyone.

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## Matthew

I can name at least one disadvantage of 3D printing. 3D printed details are less reliable than industrially manufactured ones.

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## Sebastian Finke

No-one's mentioned that 3D printed items do not possess the same physical properties as conventionally manufactured items via processes such as blow-moulding, injection moulding, from-solid machining,etc. Anecdotal evidence suggests that a 3D printed item will have _at best_ only 60% the strength and reliability of, say, an injection moulded article. Obviously this percentage can drop even further under certain dimensional constraints i.e thin-walls, non-solid infill, etc and also under procedural conditions i.e. unfavourable extruder temperature resulting in delamination.

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## RobH2

I haven't mentioned it here but in other threads I've talked about some people's notions that 3d printing is going to replace ALL manufacturing. It is not. It will find its place. Sebastian mentions some of them but there are always going to be dozens if not hundreds of other manufacturing methods that are better suited to producing a part than 3d printing. There is a reason we have a lot of different manufacturing methods and many of them are what Sebastian brings up, strength, durability and reliability. Others are tensile strength, ductility, friction coefficient, etc. With the advent of carbon fiber 3d printing we are seeing some of the concerns about strength subside a bit. But, you still have a carbon fiber part which has its inherent properties. If you want a strong part that does not share some of the other properties of carbon fiber, then a different manufacturing process, with a different material, might be better. 

3d printing will find a place in a bunch of specific and niche markets, just like blow molding has or extrusion has. But it won't replace all of manufacturing and people need to stop thinking it will. It's just another tool in the tool kit. What it excels at is a device for rapid prototyping. It's given may of us a way to economically test an prototype a huge variety of concepts where once we had to hire a model builder or machine shop to produce part. That was extremely expensive and time consuming. Once you have a proof of concept with 3d printed prototypes, you can then go and have your "real" parts made. 

I've used my 3d printer to replicate some turn latches on my boat. Some of the original 40-year old latches broke so I designed new ones that look like the old ones but with a few small improvements. The ABS printed parts I made are absolutely as strong and sound as the original parts and will probably outlast them. It depends on how the 3d printed part is used if you are concerned about the "anecdotal evidence" Sebastian brings up that is worth consideration. In my use as a latch, its strength and durability far exceeds the required parameters. So the best way to incorporate a 3d printer in your manufacturing workflow it to recognize it's short comings and design and print parts that utilize its "specific" outstanding capabilities. 

We will continue to find uses for 3d printed parts, and uses that are superior to other manufacturing in specific ways. But it's a mistake to compare 3d printing to all other manufacturing 1:1 and then find fault in 3d printing. It's not intended to "replace" all other manufacturing methods, only augment them. It's a fantastic technology but not a silver bullet. If there is a better way to manufacture a part, use that better way. Then use 3d printers for the things that they do well. Between the two your wind up with very serviceable parts.

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## marshallperkins15

One is the limitation of raw materials, it's hard to gather and have the raw materials that you need in 3d printing unlike the traditional one. Another is the limitation of size, as of now the size has some limits and constraints.

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## RobH2

I think it's important not evaluate the limitations in relation to the limitations of individuals. If you want to collect the various filaments that are compatible with 3d printers, it's rather simple. Most all of them are readily available and they are rather inexpensive. While one person might say that $75 for a roll of filament is expensive, another will say that it's inexpensive because out of the roll you can print hundreds of items, making each one $.075 each. 

Certainly someone with an extremely limited budget may have trouble affording 8 different filaments at $40-$75 per roll, but that's not 3d printing's fault. 3d printing has been exceeding liberating. As with any technology, you need to understand what it can and cannot do and need to compare apples to apples. If you understand that 3d printers need a flat spot so you can stick it to a print plate and you understand what happens with overhangs and you work to design objects that take that in mind, 3d printing as a process has very few limitations. 

I'm an Industrial Designer and prior to 3d printing, the only way to get a design prototype model was to hire a model maker to build your prototype, usually upwards of thousands of dollars. Now you can create that same prototype for mere dollars or cents. That's not a limitation, that a revolution. 

And if you want to go bigger, there really are few limitations. As long as you are willing to keep expanding the x, y and z hardware so that the hot end can travel farther and farther, there really aren't any realistic limitations. Sure, on a limited budget someone may not be able to afford that. But the question is not about budgets but about the technology. 

3d printing has exponentially more advantages than limitations when compared to what we had to do before to achieve the same end product. There will always be someone who has trouble affording a $20 cheeseburger. That does not mean there is anything wrong with cheeseburgers.

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## marshallperkins15

> I think it's important not evaluate the limitations in relation to the limitations of individuals. If you want to collect the various filaments that are compatible with 3d printers, it's rather simple. Most all of them are readily available and they are rather inexpensive. While one person might say that $75 for a roll of filament is expensive, another will say that it's inexpensive because out of the roll you can print hundreds of items, making each one $.075 each. 
> 
> Certainly someone with an extremely limited budget may have trouble affording 8 different filaments at $40-$75 per roll, but that's not 3d printing's fault. 3d printing has been exceeding liberating. As with any technology, you need to understand what it can and cannot do and need to compare apples to apples. If you understand that 3d printers need a flat spot so you can stick it to a print plate and you understand what happens with overhangs and you work to design objects that take that in mind, 3d printing as a process has very few limitations. 
> 
> I'm an Industrial Designer and prior to 3d printing, the only way to get a design prototype model was to hire a model maker to build your prototype, usually upwards of thousands of dollars. Now you can create that same prototype for mere dollars or cents. That's not a limitation, that a revolution. 
> 
> And if you want to go bigger, there really are few limitations. As long as you are willing to keep expanding the x, y and z hardware so that the hot end can travel farther and farther, there really aren't any realistic limitations. Sure, on a limited budget someone may not be able to afford that. But the question is not about budgets but about the technology. 
> 
> 3d printing has exponentially more advantages than limitations when compared to what we had to do before to achieve the same end product. There will always be someone who has trouble affording a $20 cheeseburger. That does not mean there is anything wrong with cheeseburgers.


I certainly agree to that mate well the question of the topic is what are the disadvantages, so i just listed some of it but in the bigger picture you are very right! Cheers!  :Smile:

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## bryan2015

I think , Everybody can't afford it .that is the main disadvantage of 3D printing.

*Bryan Ashley*

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## ElizabethKimbrough

I agree  with RobH2

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## JacobVR

The potential loss of jobs is another element that can be added to the disadvantages of 3D printing. Nonetheless, this disadvantage is something of a non – starter because new technologies almost always end up generating newer jobs. People just have to adapt and acquire new skills to be qualified for those new jobs.

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## ipap2

3D printers may pose a health risk when used in the home, according to researchers at the Illinois Institute of Technology.

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## Ama-fessional Molder

> The potential loss of jobs is another element that can be added to the disadvantages of 3D printing. Nonetheless, this disadvantage is something of a non – starter because new technologies almost always end up generating newer jobs. People just have to adapt and acquire new skills to be qualified for those new jobs.


Loss of jobs in what field?

Certainly not manufacturing, as no 3D printer can possibly keep up with mass production. Any machinist that used to create one off parts can simply retrain to run a 3d printer, as long as they are up to date on their software. Especially when it comes to metal printing with secondary processes.

In most fields 3d printing has not eliminated anyone, rather it has added new positions within those companies. It is a new capability that compliments all other processes.

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## JillFranke

I think the disadvantage of 3d printing is there are limited materials and questionable accuracy.

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## curious aardvark

Given that fdm has hundreds of different materials and I can accurately reproduce models to within a few hundredths of a millimetre with a cheap replicator clone.

Neither of those points makes any sense.
And that's without factoring in cured resin printing, sls, polyjet and metal printing. 

I can't think of any disadvantages of a technology that puts the ability in a the hands of an individual that would previously have required an entire factory floor and a lot of people.

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## RobH2

> I think the disadvantage of 3d printing is there are limited materials and questionable accuracy.


We have to keep it in perspective. I don't see that as a disadvantage. It's just what it is. We know that going in as with any tool, some do things that others don't. For instance, you can't say that the disadvantage of a screw driver is that it won't turn bolts. It's not meant to, that's what wrenches are for. 

So in regards to 3d printing (and I'm assuming FDM printers here because commercial printers can use a ton of materials all the way up to metals) it does exactly what the technology allows it to. As a fast way to prototype objects, it has few disadvantages. Only a few years ago you had to pay a "model maker" 1000's of dollars to make prototype models out of plex, wood, putty, paint, etc. 

I don't think there is any question to the accuracy I get with my Makerfarm printer. I know its limits and it hits those limits and is consistent from print to print to print. 

It's all perspective. And when you talk about "disadvantages" you always have to assume "in comparison to what?" So in discussing the disadvantages of anything, you have to think about it that way. "In comparison to WHAT?"  So yes, compared to dozens of other manufacturing processes, 3d printing is limited to the materials and precision that it has by design. You could say that injection molding has a disadvantage. It has to be injected into a metal or solid mold. That's a disadvantage, "in comparison to 3d printing." 

I think the advantages and options that 3d printers off us as an alternate tool in our tool boxes far outweigh any disadvantages when compared to other manufacturing processes. The trick is to know when to use 3d printing and when not to. It's not going to replace the 1000s or other manufacturing processes that we already have. It just gives us another choice.

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## orthoomaha

One advantage I think is that almost everyone, even the non techy guy can do it with only the manuals or tutorials from the internet.

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## Ter

3D printed items are not as solid as manufactured items. Quality differs too, but it might be solved in time

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## ralphzoontjens

3D printing finds its value in prototyping and special, customized parts. Good quality can be reached but it is labor and time-intensive.
The main challenge right now is that 3D printing is not as plug-and-play as it may seem, and there is hardly any standardization, so a lot of expertise is delegated to the end user.

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## alexrawlins

I agree that the printing is still not plug and play, it requires a bit of monitoring that is not needed in many other manufacturing processes. It is certainly a significant change in materials and build options, and perhaps more importantly a standard file representation across manufacturers for digital use.

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## bint

There is the limitation of materials we could use for 3D printing. So far plastic is the most preferred choice since it can be deposited down to melted layers to form the final part. So strength cannot be accurately tested in many cases.

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## MadMaxim

Hm, that's an interesting question, I don't see any disadvantages... :Confused:

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## Ive

I am trying to use the 3d printer but on the market is a lot of 3d printers that are low quality. My friend has two and always have some problem. Because they are low budget.

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## curious aardvark

With a little experience and some cheap mods, the right low budget printer is every bit as good as the expensive ones. But yeah if you pay £130 for a prusa i3 kit. Don't expect a titanium frame, hi-temp steel hot end and bearings made from spherical diamonds :-)

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## agmtech

I don't know in other countries, but here in Indonesia the use of 3d printers is still rare and only for specific purpose (not something that you can easily find around you in your daily life). IMO, the user-friendliness and its price are what most people here consider as disadvantages for 3d printers. Maybe due to the name is still "printer" then some people think it shouldn't be much different than conventional printers that print on paper  :Big Grin:

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## ianbeintehian

3d printing ultimately never makes economic sense or practical sense for most people. With some exceptions for certain geometries, you get higher quality (although at even higher cost at low volume) with molds, and the upfront costs make 3d printing the odd item every now and then prohibitive. Their best use case isn't in the home, imo, but at local libraries etc.

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## Roshani

The size of objects created with 3d printers is currently limited. Traditional manufacturing of products has an enormous range of raw materials that can be used. Presently 3d printers can work up to approximately 100 different raw materials and creating products that uses more raw materials are still under development.The biggest disadvantage of 3d printing is Counterfeiting. Anyone who gets a hold of a blueprint will be able to counterfeit products easily. It will become more common and tracing the source of the counterfeited items will be nearly impossible. Many copyright holders will have a hard time protecting their rights and businesses producing unique products will suffer.
regards
Roshani
best e commerce company in jaipur.

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## xenwarps

I would argue that counterfeiting (reproduction or sharing might be nicer ways to phrase that) is a benefit - perhaps the primary one. You don't have to get something at the store, or hope that a product is available. Just print it, and maybe share it.

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## ralphzoontjens

I agree, open model sharing is a great benefit plus it empowers people in using their own creativity.
This is a democratization of traditional plant-based manufacturing.
My vision is that in the end, SLS or hybrid systems (for example for multimaterial) are the way to go once they are more automated and prices come down by say, five times. I think we will be there in 10 years. The reason for SLS is speed and homogeneous visual and mechanical quality.
Making 3D printable into a major global manufacturing technology will require overcoming some disadvantages.

- Heterogeneity - layered product buildups leads to major failure for mechanical loads, often clean splits along the weakest layer. We can overcome this by printing truly in 3D i.e. the printhead moving also in Z-direction to create waved or zigzagged layer structures. That is why I think Scara systems will be a good approach. For multiple materials and different levels of detail, we will simply have multiple robot arms each with their own extruder working on the product.

- Production speed - Lulzbot is handling this pretty well with the moarstruder and automatic bed leveling further automating the process.

- Error handling, maintenance - 3D printers simply need more sensor integration for dynamic feedback to regulate the print and communicate to the user - integrated live webcams are only a start. For example, with the right software a printer can know when the filament will break, when the extruder is jammed, even what the final print should look like visually, report back errors based on image recognition and suggest new settings to improve printing.

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## aliceshaun

3d printing it is new technology and a lot of new ideas to attract people like marketing to gain more revenue.

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## AdamHebrew

Here are ten things about the risks and potentially negative impacts of 3D printing technology.

1. High Energy Consumption
2. 3D Printing Technology is Expensive
3. Limited Materials
4. 3D Printers Aren?t that User-friendly
5. Harmful Emissions
6. Too Much Reliance on Plastic
7. 3D Printers are Slow
8. Production of Dangerous Weaponry
9. Copyright Infringements
10. Manufacturing Job Losses

Thanks
Adam Hebrew UK
I m Assignment Writer in UK, passionate photographer and interior designer

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