3D Printing is an exciting new manufacturing tool that rapidly brings prototype ideas to life. but that is not all! Here are few examples of what it can be used for:

1. Manufacture prototypes of your designs or new products, quickly and cost effective.

2. Manufacture working parts or replace broken machine parts in ABS plastic, with known mechanical properties.

3. Produce scale representations of large structures or components for use in boardroom presentations or as display models.

4. Ideal for assembly jigs and fixtures and is becoming very popular in automotive and aerospace manufacturing for hole marking and layout operations.

5. Produce scale architectural models and representations, either single structures or whole developments.

6. Produce complex geometries and cavities that would otherwise be problematic to manufacture conventionally.

3D Printing offers a new approach to how we now think about manufacturing. Instead of the sculptor chipping away at the stone to carve the statue, we now employ "additive" manufacturing and print the sculpture from the bottom up, one layer at a time. Some key savings you can expect by utilising 3D printing in your project:

1. Save Time - never before have you been able to have an idea develop and become a reality this quickly. You can conceptualise and 3D print in the same day, which can save months in some cases when compared to conventional manufacturing.
2. Save Money - whether it is the quick use injection mold and tools or building a one off prototype, 3D printing offers rates much lower than traditional machining methods. If you decide that your design needs more refining, you won't have the huge investment in tooling or infrastructure around your design until you are production ready.
3. Save rework time and get real feedback - use your 3D printed model to illicit feedback from your own team or perhaps your target customer. Nothing sparks conversation and feedback like something you can hold in your hand versus review on paper or a computer monitor. Customer feedback, especially the critical variety, is essential to successful development of any product.
4. Fail Fast and Fail Cheap - No inventor nor invention was ever met with success on the first try. Utilise the lower costs of 3D printing to deliver a "looks like" or "works like" element to design review. 

At Navigator Designs, we utilise FDM Technology, or Fused Deposition Modelling. In more simple language, 3D printers that run on FDM Technology build parts layer-by-layer from the bottom up by heating and extruding thermoplastic filament. These parts are mechanically and environmentally stable.

Through our relationships we are not limited to just FDM Technology. If perhaps Polyjet Technology is more suited to your application we can arrange that for you.