Despite the promise of 3-D printing, it has yet to replace injection molding systems, which have historically been substantially less expensive and faster than 3-D printing for most applications.
But that could soon change, however.
The capabilities of 3-D printing systems are growing at an exponential rate, leading the company 3D Systems to proclaim that Moore’s law could be used to describe its growth trajectory. Originally used to describe the doubling of transistors on integrated circuits every two years, Moore’s law has been a reliable predictor of progress in the field of electronics since the mid-1960s. According the company 3D Systems, Moore’s law could be modified to apply to the speeds of 3-D printing systems, which have doubled on average every 24 months over the past decade by its reckoning.
Earlier this year, the company released a video titled “Breaking the Speed Barrier,” which asks: Will 3-D printing ever be faster than injection molding? Hint: They think the answer is “yes.” The capabilities of injection molding systems may be steadily increasing, but its growth curve looks downright sluggish when compared to that of 3-D printing’s. And it goes without saying that creating 3-D printed parts is a much more nimble affair than injection molding, where design iterations can introduce painful week- or month-long delays.
