Are you looking for 3D printing services in Toronto or the Greater Toronto Area? (including Mississauga, Brampton, Oakville, Vaughan, Markham, and Pickering)
Agile Manufacturing is a trusted 3D printing service for many businesses in the GTA for prototyping, design, and production.
When it comes to 3D printing, it’s important to have a responsive and reliable manufacturing service for your growing business.
Agile Manufacturing fits the bill and is your one stop shop for all things 3DP!
3D Printing, also known as additive manufacturing (AM), is the process of building parts or objects layer-by-layer using a three-dimension technology from a digital CAD file. Each layer can be seen as a thinly sliced cross-section of the object.
AM is the opposite of subtractive manufacturing (CNC) which is cutting out a piece of metal or plastic. Additive technologies enables you to produce complex shapes that are otherwise unable to be built using other manufacturing methods.
Manufacturing has greatly improved over the years and has become increasingly ‘digital’ due to 3D printing technology. This technology has already changed how companies design and produce manufactured goods.
Many industries (aerospace, automotive, manufacturing) have already made the switch to 3DP for faster and more reliable prototypes and production parts.
At Agile Manufacturing, we provide the highest quality 3DP and AM services to cater to your needs.
FDM 3D printers work by extruding thermoplastic filaments such as ABS, PC, Ultem and many more through a heated nozzle. The material is laid layer by layer on a build platform until the part is complete. All that is needed to start is a CAD file. With the use of a slicer software, the CAD file is converted to a format that can easily be understood by the printer before the process begins.
FDM makes use of two building materials: the modelling build material and the support material. The build material constitutes the finished object. The support material is used as a scaffolding to support the object being printed. This material is removed and disposed to reveal the final printed part.
Most common modeling materials in FDM are ABS, Nylon 11/12, PC, PC/ABS, PEEK/PEKK, Ultem and TPU. Materials come in all types of colors. These parts print in production-grade material which make them ideal for functional prototypes and end-use parts.
Printing in this process allows for the light weighting of parts by using an adjustable sparse infill structure. This also reduces overall print time and material consumption.
In short, AM is fast and relatively low cost.
From design to manufacturing, a prototype can be delivered in a matter of days. Where this technology excels is in rapid prototyping and low volume production.
Businesses can take advantage of AM technology for short to medium runs and bridge production. 3DP greatly reduces the time to get the first version of a product and makes it possible to print complex geometries and interlocking parts that require no assembly.
Stereolithography (SLA) is a AM process where UV light and photopolymer resin are used to make printable parts. The resin is cured by the laser which hardens the plastic. These layers are made at high speed, making SLA a great option for rapid prototyping.
Traditional prototyping and mass production methods such as CNC machining and injection molding requires expensive machinery and tools which carries higher labor and material costs.
On the other hand, AM is a one-step process, avoiding the expensive upfront costs of tooling. In addition, 3D printers use only the material that is needed to print the parts and requires little supervision, which lowers labor costs.
3DP utilizes only the specific material that is needed to complete the job. As it is an AM method, material is layered onto itself as needed, whereas traditional subtractive manufacturing methods require larger upfront material costs and contributes to more waste due to leftover material.
The streamlined processes of 3D printing help speed up production schedules which reduces material and energy consumption long term. As material science evolves AM is expanding the number of sustainable and biodegradable materials available, further offsetting the environmental impact.
When going through many different iterations of a design, 3DP does not require the creation of a new tool, mold, die or jig like other manufacturing processes. Different designs can simply be reprinted without high upfront costs.
AM simply requires a 3D design software that can interpret the part into slices to send data to the printer. The designer can re-design their part in CAD and send it back to the operator for printing.
Production of complex geometries is made possible using additive technologies that are not possible in traditional manufacturing (injection molding, cast urethane, etc.). Consolidation can also easily be accomplished with 3DP which can reduce the number of parts needed for a design, thus reducing assembly and design costs.
Agile Manufacturing Inc. runs the most up to date AM technologies to offer you the the best quality and fastest turnaround on the market, all at competitive prices.
We also provide 3D printing services in the following areas: Ottawa, Montreal, Mississauga, Hamilton, Kitchener, London, Winnipeg, Calgary, Edmonton, Vancouver, Victoria
