The Digital Manufacturing Blog

Bringing you the latest trends and best practices in 3D printing and additive manufacturing, injection molding and CNC machining.

3 Things About 3D Printing Bureaus You Should Know

When you need to 3D print parts, you can either invest and utilize your own equipment, or order parts through a 3D printing bureau.  But, how do you know when it is best to leverage the 3D printing processes of a service provider compared to in-house capabilities?  Below are the top 3 reasons why customers have utilized a service bureau, like us.

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1. Expert Advice

Customers often come to us and say something like “We want the part to do this, but do not know what material or process will work best.” 3D Printing Service Bureaus have experienced project managers that can walk you through different processes and materials based on what you need for your design and project. They can offer the best options to get your part for your deadline whether it’s for a sales demo, marketing presentation or testing.

2. Less In-house Overhead

The costs involved with having your own machine can add up quickly. In addition to the cost of the equipment, there are also the costs of training/hiring employees, software upgrades, machine maintenance, and material & machine part purchases.  It may take years for a company to break even on their own machines.  This is why a lot of customers come to us.  They can simply send us the files to print to minimize risk and compensate for internal processes that don not exist.

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3. Access to Advanced Materials and Processes

We have seen over the past few years that customers need prototypes to act as close as possible to the production piece.  This not only involves advanced materials, but also secondary processes like finish and paint.  Having both materials and processes under one roof allows one to efficiently stream line their timeline as well as utilize a “one stop shop” vendor.

But don’t take our word for it. If you want to learn more about how a 3D Printing Service Bureau can help you, then feel free to contact us. Allow us to understand your concept and needs and champion it into actual parts by determining which of our processes will bring them to life in the most efficient way possible.

Get Your Product to Market

TTH’s integrated approach to design, prototyping, and production allows you to bring your concept to market faster, more cost-effectively, than virtually anyone else.

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