What are the Disadvantages and Advantages of 3D Printing?

Since its invention as a manufacturing process, 3D printing has undergone exponential growth and advancements. Various industries use this technology in numerous applications. According to Modror intelligence, the UK 3D printing market is currently valued at £0.52 billion in 2024 and is expected to rise to £0.91 billion by 2029. This widespread adoption is a result of the many advantages of 3D printing. However, there are also some inherent disadvantages of 3D printing.

Considering these benefits and limitations, is 3D printing the right manufacturing process for your application? This article explores the disadvantages and advantages of 3D printing and how they influence different aspects of manufacturing. The article also compares 3D printing with other modern manufacturing technologies.

What is 3D printing?

3D printing is an additive manufacturing process that creates objects by depositing consecutive 2D layers of material until the complete object forms. The term “3D printing” does not refer to a specific technology. Instead, it broadly defines a group of technologies that characteristically build parts by material deposition in layers. See our comprehensive 3D printing guide to learn everything you need to know about this additive manufacturing process.

There are various 3D printing technologies, varying by raw material state, method of deposition, and layer consolidation technique. The most common 3D printing technologies are:

• Selective Laser Sintering (SLS)
• Multi-Jet Fusion (MJF)
• Fusion Deposition Modelling (FDM)
• Stereolithography (SLA)
• Direct metal laser sintering (DMLS)

This mix of different characteristics and capabilities of these technologies forms the basis of the various advantages and disadvantages of 3D printing.

What are the advantages of 3D printing? 3D printing benefits

The advantages of 3D printing are numerous, affecting various aspects of manufacturing. Some of these are as follows.

Capability

3D printing is a highly capable process with extensive capabilities. This process can effortlessly print complex geometries that are not obtainable via traditional manufacturing methods. It does this using only the required material, creating internal voids where necessary. These particular advantages of 3D printing make it popular in industries that require highly complex, strong but lightweight parts.

3D printing can produce standalone end-use parts, fully functional assemblies, and multicoloured and multi-material objects. In most instances, provided the design is optimised for 3D printing, if you can design it, you can print it. This gives designers, engineers, and manufacturers the freedom and flexibility to innovate and create. 3D printing is also capable of prototyping and batch production. Furthermore, one of the most important advantages of 3D printing is its ability to print one-off custom parts, such as medical prosthetics, architectural models, personalised items, and numerous others.

Accuracy

While it may be impossible to produce parts with 100% accuracy, 3D printing comes very close, with some technologies, such as Direct Metal Laser Sintering (DMLS), capable of printing with ± 0.2% accuracy. This accuracy is particularly beneficial in critical industries like aerospace and medicine. For example, 3D printing can create one-off custom prosthetics that accurately match patients’ dimensions.

Speed and effort

Compared to traditional manufacturing, which requires multiple processes and steps to create a part, most 3D printing technologies are highly efficient, involving a maximum of two steps: printing and post-processing. After setting up the printer and starting the printing process, human effort is only required once printing is complete. 3D printing is also relatively fast, considering the complexities of geometries it can create. Some parts can be manufactured in just a few hours.

These advantages of 3D printing have made it the go-to rapid prototyping technology of most manufacturers. Engineers can quickly design, produce, and test multiple product iterations. 3D printing's speed also facilitates on-demand manufacturing, an aspect of manufacturing that enables you to request and receive parts very quickly. With Geomiq, you can receive your parts within three days of your request.

Materials

In earlier days, 3D printing was compatible with a few engineering materials. However, with advancements in the field, material compatibility, previously a limitation, is now one of the advantages of 3D printing. This technology is compatible with various materials, including:

• Thermoplastics
• Resins
• Metals
• Composites
• Glass
• Ceramic, sand, and paper.

Application-specific 3D printing materials, such as flame-resistant, biodegradable, and biocompatible materials, are also available. Furthermore, 3D bioprinting using tissue material is undergoing rapid development.

Versatility

The different characteristics of the various 3D printing technologies combine to make 3D printing a highly versatile manufacturing process. Suitable processes exist for almost every application and requirement. There are appropriate processes for hard or soft materials, one-off or batch productions, industrial or domestic projects, smooth or rough surface finish, metals or plastics, large or tiny structures, single parts or whole assemblies, and many other application requirements. These multifaceted advantages of 3D printing technology are some of the major reasons for its widespread usage in the following industries and many more:

• Construction
• Medicine and Healthcare
• Aerospace and automotive
• Fashion and sports
• Machinery and equipment
• Consumer goods

Sustainability

There are various sustainability advantages of 3D printing. One of these is that, unlike subtractive manufacturing processes that create parts by removing portions of a block of material, 3D printing creates parts by adding bits of material in layers until the object forms. As an additive manufacturing process, 3D printing uses only the necessary material and generates minimal scrap, typically from support structures removed after printing.

Accessibility and availability

3D printing is used in highly complex technical and recreational applications alike. There are high-end large industrial printers and far more affordable desktop 3D printers that cost less than £ 200 (€ 233). An increasing number of hobbyists and small businesses are acquiring affordable printers for personal and in-house use. This availability makes the 3D printing technology easily accessible to various users. In addition, digital manufacturers, such as Geomiq, can provide one-off custom or mass-produced 3D printed parts on demand. This greatly saves businesses the hassle and cost of ordering parts from overseas suppliers.

What are the disadvantages of 3D printing? 3D printing limitations

While 3D printing has numerous beneficial characteristics, this additive manufacturing process also has some limitations. Some of these are as follows.

Speed and scalability in batch productions

While speed is a benefit for one-off parts, speed in large batch productions is a disadvantage of 3D printing. 3D printers typically print one part at a time. Depending on the part size and 3D printer, some processes can print multiple parts simultaneously. However, the speed of production is inversely proportional to production quantity. Large productions typically require a lengthy period to execute. The solution to this issue is using multiple printers. However, this requires additional setup costs. Furthermore, Due to the temperature changes and post-processing in 3D printing manufacturing, finished products in batch productions may have slight variations.

Impact of finished parts’ properties

3D printing subjects parts to processes that can impact their physical properties. To begin with, 3D printing technology often requires materials to be in a specific state, such as liquid, powder, or wire. The materials then undergo melting, sintering, or curing before solidification in layers. The changes in material state subject the material to intermolecular stresses, potentially impacting the final properties of the part. In addition, the layered formation often results in anisotropic properties in some 3D printing technologies. This property is a disadvantage of 3D printing as it means that the printed part is usually weaker along the printing axis.

Size limitations

3D printers are available in an extensive range of build sizes. However, the printers predominantly used in production typically have smaller build volumes compared to other manufacturing technologies, such as machining, sheet metal fabrication, and moulding. This disadvantage of 3D printing often restricts the technology to the manufacture of relatively small complex components. Note, however, that specialised 3D printers capable of printing huge volumes exist. In addition, manufacturers can build large-volume parts by printing separate components and assembling them after printing.

Post-processing

Post-processing operations are typically vital to 3D printing processes. Depending on the part, compulsory post-processing may include further sintering, rinsing, removal of support structure and excess material, surface finishing, and heat treatment. These processes add to manufacturing time and effort and may affect the dimensional accuracy of the finished part.

Legal and safety issues

Accessibility is one of the advantages of 3D printing. However, it can also constitute a disadvantage. Due to the wide availability of 3D printing, users can easily design and print an existing object, disregarding the original designer's or inventor's intellectual copyright. There are millions of 3D digital models available for download online. Many of which are duplicates of an original design. Similarly, users can scan an existing object, obtaining its design without permission. In addition to these, there are also safety concerns about the abilities of 3D printing. Users can illegally print complete weapons and weapon-building components. Even worse, many of these weapons can be printed from materials that are undetectable by modern detection technologies.

Pros and cons of 3D printing vs other conventional manufacturing methods

3D printing is one of various modern manufacturing processes. Other predominant technologies include 3D printing, CNC machining, sheet metal fabrication, and injection moulding. The table below compares 3D printing with these other technologies.

Conclusion

The disadvantages and advantages of 3D printing determine its suitability for different applications. In addition, these characteristics cut across various aspects of manufacturing. Need 3D printed parts? Head to our instant quoting platform to upload your design and process your order. Geomiq harnesses the advantages of 3D printing to ensure you receive high-quality parts in as little as three days.