3D Printing for Mass Manufacturing? Is this an option?

Hello guys, I am currently starting a business with some buddies of mine. We plan on making and specializing in selling plastic figurines. We already have a great following and many people interested in our product. However, we are trying to decide what the best method would be in order to have these manufactured. Would 3D Printing be the best option, or should we outsource to another company? What are your suggestions? I know that the benefits of 3D Printing are that the costs to print 1 is the same as 1000. However, we need to print the 1000's. Is 3D Printing feasible?

Depending on the time you want to get one done, i would guess a Mold would be a better option for mass producing?

3D printing is still kinda Prototyping, wich takes alot longer then example molding does, and is less quality. (also depending on your printer type.)

+1 for mold.

If you figure time into the formula then 3D printing loses as a manufacturing process. If you figure durability into the formula, then 3D printing loses as a process. If you figure resolution, 3D printing loses, and so on........ 3d printing is used for manufacturing, however, people that know manufacturing will always chose a different method, for any thing over a few pieces.

There are shapes that cannot be made in any other way than to print them, in those cases they are printed, but they are few, and engineers try very hard to find alternate methods. 3D printing happens to be the big thing at the moment, I am surprised that it has not cooled off yet. It will cool off, not go cold, but not be as attractive as it currently is, once people figure out it's true value.

I completely agree with these comments. If you're looking to prototype a new figurine or want to offer a small number of figurines, then 3D printing could be more cost effective than using molds. But if you're going to print the same figurine in large quantity, then a mold will likely be faster and more cost effective.

If you do elect to use 3D printing for prototypes or small runs, you might look into the post processing required for your prints (e.g., removing support material) and the time required for reliable printing (e.g., do you need to manually calibrate before each print) before deciding on a 3D printer.

In the last the last 30 or so years the Chinese have mastered manufacturing, but they have ALWAYS been masters of the trinket/art form, you simply will never see them producing anything in a 3D printer. Wax carving is probably the fastest for most 3D visualization, and can be cast from wax VERY easily. A wax figure can be made, a silicone mold made from that, which more waxes can be made, or the wax can be lost wax cast, and a mold made from the cast. All easy to do, and have been done with bees wax, and clay for THOUSANDS of years. 3D modeling before modern times.

3d printing is just not very viable, I am quite surprised it is so popular. As an engineering tool it is extremely helpful, it can show you intricate shapes that are difficult to see, even on a CAD system, but as a manufacturing process it is terrible. imo. It delaminates, layers show, time per model is still quite time consuming, and physics makes it unlikely to improve much.

There are MANY many processes more efficient than 3D printing, it is a novelty.

If you need 1000's of anything, 3D printing is not where you should be focusing. Traditional manufacturing's strength is in numbers. 3D printing's strength is in small runs and one off pieces.