3D printing promotes the transformation from 'Made in Dongguan' to 'Intelligent Manufacturing in Dongguan'

Dongguan is an important base for the metal and plastic manufacturing industry in the country. Industrial design agencies and industrial enterprises have a strong demand for 3D printing technology. The use of 3D printing technology can not only simplify the industrial design process, reduce the difficulty and cost of model manufacturing, but also shorten the development cycle of new products, improve research and development efficiency, and help promote the transformation of Dongguan manufacturing to Dongguan smart manufacturing.

　 Greatly reduce sample making time

In the past, the production of a sample requires the production of molds, parts, and assembly. The time taken is calculated in months. Now, printing a sample with a 3D printer, no matter how complicated the process is, it can be completed in tens of hours at most. Wu Fengli, chairman of Dongguan 3D Printing Technology Alliance and chairman of Guangdong Topstar Technology Co., Ltd., told reporters that using 3D printers can greatly save time and improve sample production efficiency.

3D printing will subvert the manufacturing industry from the source, labor force, worker skills, production line management, etc. will become irrelevant. According to Luo Baihui, secretary general of the International Die u0026 Mould Association, low prices have promoted the rapid popularity of 3D printers. Although 3D printers cannot completely replace traditional manufacturing processes such as injection molding, it is more than enough to print prototypes and simple toys.

　In the future, 3D printers will fight side by side with, or even replace, traditional manufacturing equipment such as milling machines, casting, and injection molding. Luo Baihui said that with the gradual increase in printing yield, labor demand will also be greatly reduced in the future.

Potential Flexible Supply Chain

Rapid sample prototyping is an immediate benefit. However, I think that for companies, the ability to start or stop production based on market dynamics without inventory backlog is the most obvious point for companies to surpass traditional manufacturing. In the view of the person in charge of Dongguan Maker Alliance, the greater disruption of 3D printing lies in its flexible supply chain: if the market does not respond well to a product, production can be stopped immediately, and the development and application of new products can be invested immediately.

In the traditional manufacturing model, when customers put forward production requirements, companies must first determine the production quantity of each batch according to market expectations, and then carry out mass production. Once it is put into production, whether it is oversupply or short supply, the only thing to do is to output first and then watch the market reaction. In 3D printing, experimental products can be printed first, and decisions can be made based on market feedback.

The reporter learned that the most common material for 3D printers is plastic, and the strength and hardness of the printed products are far from reaching the requirements of industrial production. The Secretary-General of Dongguan 3D Printing Technology Alliance told reporters that with the current material technology, the application of 3D printers is still based on sample production. If you want to print industrial product parts, there are still many difficulties to overcome, and the material is a big problem.

The reporter learned from Dongguan Hengli Technology Innovation Service Platform that in the next step, the 3D Printing Service Center will strengthen cooperation and exchanges with leading companies in 3D printing technology at home and abroad and technical experts in related fields. On the one hand, continue to improve the level of 3D printing technology, and do a good job of 3D printing technical services; on the other hand, further research and develop deeper projects of 3D printing technology, expand the application field of 3D printing technology, and make 3D printing better and faster. In more aspects, promote the development of Dongguan's manufacturing industry.