Creating a viable product takes a lot of time, insight, and intent during a process known as “Product Development.” Throughout this process considerations are made as to how the product may be used, both correctly and incorrectly, and how alterations can be made to better suit the finished product for final manufacturing. With 3D printing it is significantly easier to test, improve, and iterate designs, which means a faster turnaround from idea to product. Let’s take a look at the different materials that might be the most beneficial throughout the process of developing your product.

Function

With 3D printing, it’s incredibly easy to iterate and improve on your design in a rapid fashion, thus it makes the most sense to focus on the intent and function of the part first before moving on to making it pretty. As such, start with PLA 3D printing filament to find the right shape of the part, make sure holes line up, or that joints fit together nicely. PLA is a simple, easy-to-print, and low-warp filament that will enable you to create your design and identify the points that need improvement without a lot of time or cost invested. Once you have determined that the function of the design meets your required specifications, then you can move on to identifying the fit and form of the 3D print.

A rough PLA 3D print is the perfect way to ensure that the basic shapes of your 3D model will work for its intended purpose.
A rough PLA 3D print is the perfect way to ensure that the basic shapes of your 3D model will work for its intended purpose.

Form and Fit

Form follows function, and with the function of the design taken care of you can move onto other materials that are better suited for aesthetic changes. Depending on which direction you want to go, you can use ABS if you intend to sand and polish the 3D print to a smooth finish so you can easily paint it as a mock-up for the full-production finished product. ABS is a bit tricker to print than PLA, but that does bring with it different material properties like ease of sanding, making threads, or solvent welding parts together. ABS is also one of the most temperature resistant 3D printing filaments out there, making it an ideal choice for prototypes that are going to be exposed to high-heat environments like the inside of a car on a summer day.

Alternatively, Tough PLA is a modified form of PLA that sands well and can accommodate higher temperatures after being annealed; you may want to consider trying it if you would rather avoid 3D printing with ABS.

If the 3D print needs it, testing wwiht a more robust material like ABS is a surefire way to make improvements to the contours of the finished part.
If the 3D print needs it, testing wwiht a more robust material like ABS is a surefire way to make improvements to the contours of the finished part.

Production

Once you’re ready for production, there are many options and paths you can take. Many companies are moving away from large-scale manufacturing with injection molding and are looking inward to in-house batch-printing 3D printer farms. For this application, there are dozens of engineering grade materials available like glass fiber infused NylonG, carbon fiber infused NylonX, and filament designed by major manufacturing firms like DSM or BASF. For some, a colorful set of PLA is perfect for custom cookie cutters and others need the high-strength of NylonX for their unique intake manifold. Weigh the costs and benefits of committing to a long-term injection mold compared to shorter term batch printing that gives you the freedom to iterate and release a new version of your design in hours instead of a back-and-forth of creating a new injection mold or completing the run and trying again further down the line.

Once you're ready for full-scale production, engineering grade filaments can be suitable replacements for traditional manufacturing methods.
Once you're ready for full-scale production, engineering grade filaments can be suitable replacements for traditional manufacturing methods.

Product development isn’t easy, but with 3D printing the process becomes a lot simpler to separate into digestible pieces that can be brought in-house for quicker turnarounds. Do you already use 3D printing to develop your products? I’d love to hear more about what you do in the comments below.

Happy printing!