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The answer is 3D printing will not replace CNC machining in the foreseeable future.

The reason is they actually have different purposes which complement each other.

3d printing vs cnc machining china

3D PRINTING
3D printing is a form of add-on or additive manufacturing.

It makes use of parts being produced layer by layer with substances such as plastic or metal powders, plastic filaments or resins.

Its energy source is either a laser or a heated extruder which creates decks or layers of these materials by solidifying them to finally form the finished part.

The joy of 3D printing is in your ability to create freedom of shape, its accuracy, speed, and its ability to cut on costs and to decrease the weight of certain parts.

It is also applicable in several industries.

3D printing has various advantages over traditional printing but its technology has not yet been developed for mass production.

CNC MACHINING
CNC machining represents subtractive manufacturing.

Theoretically: this means to deduct from an original piece.

The process starts with a block of material (called a blank);

Then;

CNC machining starts to cut away material until the finished part is created.

Cutters and spinning tools are important parts of the procedure to shape and mold the original piece.

Somewhat like sculpture or pottery.

CNC machining is best for low to mid volume production and has splendid dimensional accuracy.

It works well with many materials including wood, metals, and plastics.

CNC stands for Computer Numerical Control.

WHAT 3D PRINTING AND CNC MACHINING HAVE IN COMMON?

Both are compatible with a wide variety of materials.

These include plastics and metals.

China 3D printing Is more adaptable to plastics like ABS, nylon, polycarbonate. and acrylic for now;

but some companies have sought to introduce technology that will allow more usage of metals in 3D printing.

Some advanced 3D printers have the capacity for jobs on sand and ceramics.

CNC machining is more in tune with metals;

especially aluminum, stainless steel and titanium,

but companies have also sought the adaptability of plastics to CNC machining.

3D PRINTING AND CNC MACHINING WORK TOGETHER

There are materials such as super alloys or TPU (flexible material) which cannot be made with CNC milling,Cnc Turning,etc

but should be created with 3D printing.

After the super alloy has been produced, the deductive or sculpting magic of CNC will then work its way through the material.

CAN WE COMBINE THE TWO?
Yes.

There are companies now that are attempting to merge the great qualities of 3D printing and CNC machining into one dual purpose

equipment.

The Zmorph 2.0 SX is introduced as a CNC equipment but is also a 3D printer.

It has 3 axes and a print head because of its interchangeable heads.

Then there is Mooz which is marketed as a 3 in 1 3D printer.

THE FUTURE

3D printing is simpler.

No operator is required when the file is prepared, and the part orientation, fill and supports are executed.

CNC machining needs a skilled machinist to choose usage of tools.

cutting path, and repositioning of the material.

CNC machining requires cleanup after use because it cuts and sculpts away from the material until the desired form is established.

Whereas 3D printing doesn’t leave any mess behind because all the parts created are needed because they are all new productions.

Both 3D printing and CNC machining will be here to stay.

The former is in the creation of new products (additive property);

while the latter is in the creation of something out of something.

3D printing is more proficient with plastics. sand and ceramics while CNC machining does wonders with both stainless steel or metals.

Technology will keep in evolving until the two technologies will be merged and they will be adaptable to mass production.

The two processes now are just confined to low and mid production projects.

But the future of SLS 3D printing or fdm 3d printing or SLM 3D Printing is much brighter because costs from its operations have become even cheaper than third world cheap labor.

And the expenses keep decreasing with the potential of a 3D printer in most homes in the not so distant future.

3D printing can also make the costs of commercial goods much cheaper because it can create duplicates of these products.

Thus, it has become competition.

While 3D printing and Injection molding share some of the same concepts,

however, there are some differences too.

3D printing is more of an additive process. Injection molding, hence the name, makes use of molds.

As 3D printing continues to develop and advance, people are wondering will this replace injection molding?

The answer is yes and no.

What I mean by that is, yes it will replace injection molding eventually in time,

but can it replace it right now or soon, the answer is no.

In this article, I will talk about a brief overview of 3D printing and injection molding so you can get an understanding of the two first and then talk

about why 3D printing will eventually replace injection molding

What is 3D Printing?

When it comes to 3D printing, you obviously need a 3D printer, and you need the material or filament you are going to use in order to 3D print something.

The filament is fed into the printer, melted, and then pushed out onto the printer’s bed to begin the making of the object.

Your object will be coming from a computer-generated model file.

Remember how you use to watch your grandma squeeze on an icing bag to ice a cake or maybe you did so yourself?

Good,

because that motion is exactly the motion of the filament in order to form your object.

Filament comes in a variety of materials too.

Materials

As stated before filament comes in a variety of materials.

Thermoplastics are specifically used for beginners.

Here are some materials used in 3D printing:

• PLA
• ABS
• PVA
• Resin
• Metal
• Carbon Fiber
• What Can it Make?
• These below are just to name a few.
• Toys
• Figurines
• Food
• Organ tissue/Organ
• 3D models
• Phone Case
• Instruments
• Gun

What is Injection Molding?

Injection molding has been around since the 1800s and many manufacturing companies use this method.

If you need to produce parts in large volume then injection molding is the way to go.

Or if time is not on your side, then this is a better method for you.

And just like 3D printing that requires the use of a 3D printer,

for plastic injection molding you need a molding machine.

It uses many materials but plastic is the most common.

The plastic fills up the mold cavity taking its shape, it cools down, then it hardens.

The newly created casting is removed from the mold cavity.

The reason why this process is called injection molding because it consists of injecting material into a mold cavity.

Materials

There are many materials that can be used in this process.

The majority of polymers can be used as well as thermoplastics.

Before the molding process, the raw form of these materials is typically fine powder and color can be added into the process to determine the color of the final part.

Depending on the material, the final part’s durability and function can be affected.

Here are some materials used listed below:

• POM
• PMMA
• ABS
• CA
• PA6
• PC
• PBET

What Can it Make?

Injection molding focuses on producing thin=walled parts for a variety of applications.

but can also make common household items such as:

• manufactured parts
• toothbrushes
• small toys
• household appliances
• electronics
• medical tools
• syringes

3D Printing Vs Injection Molding

3D printing has advantages over injection molding,

but injection molding will not be replaced by china 3d printing  soon as you think.

It will take many many years before this truly happens.

Injection molding has been around for over 100 years and had so much time to develop whereas 3D printing only been around for 30 years.

So it still needs to advance.

Injection molding machines can create objects faster and there is more quality.

Even in many cases, there is better accuracy than 3D printers.

3D printing is constantly evolving and there is still a lot of research that needs to be done.

The nice thing about 3D printing though is that if you need to change or tweak the design, all you need to do is go into your computer-generated file if you need to and do so.

Injection molding, you have to make sure the mold is precise because if not, essentially you have to get another mold made, which is more money

As stated earlier,

in time there is a possibility that injection molding can be replaced by 3D printing,

but not until there is more development.