this post was submitted on 09 Oct 2023
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3D Printing

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Quality of 3D printing versus injection molding (lemmy.ml)
submitted 1 year ago by citytree@lemmy.ml to c/3dprinting@lemmy.ml
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Are consumer level 3D printers able to print plastic objects of similar quality to ones produced using injection molding? Or is 3D printing useful mostly for the prototyping stage before a design is finalized and a steel mold is produced for injection molding?

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[–] IMALlama@lemmy.world 2 points 1 year ago

Additive manufacturing (3d printing) can produce some shapes which are not possible using injection molding

Agree. I was just thinking about this last night. The model I'm currently making would have to be multiple sub-components without 3D printing. Having everything as one piece, but still with a lot of air gaps, makes the finished product stronger.

Injection molding currently has access to a wider variety of materials due to its maturity (pelletized raw material)

There are pellet extruders, but generally agree that there's a wider material selection available for injection molding.