The 3D printer has been the ultimate lord for most of the people in the world when considering the facts that have been achieved using the 3D printer. It has passed almost 3 decades since its invention and people still consider the 3D printer as a thing that could change the course of the world.
Many enterprises have been built using the 3D printer. From tuition classes to board manufacturers, they have been using the 3D printer and the 3D printer has been the source of living of thousands of people as well.
If you think of the 3D printer as a luxury item, you will have the entire freedom to think in that manner too as the price of the 3d printer varies from $100 to $5000. This is one of the disadvantages of 3D printing while there are many.
At present,
Layered by layer addition is conducted to build your product as a smooth finished object, while there are other methods to build an object using materials. There are plenty of things to talk about that too as many errors can occur in those steps as well.
Additive manufacturing has been a great option for many marketing strategies that help you to create various designs. People used to talk in the past stating that there are fewer opportunities to create various 3d printed objects due to the lack of expertise in 3D printing and layer by layer building structures.
But, at present, it has been found that many changes can be applied for the objects created using 3D printing. Additive manufacturing is such a method that can get high performance for 3D printing. Also, some modes have been used to apply two colors or materials for the 3d printers when building 3D structures. Those things have been pretty smoothly applicable to the printing process as well.
Like the way a dark cloud has a silver line, a 3D printer can be described as an item that has several disadvantages.
Even though many tasks were made easy by the 3D printer, lots of disadvantages have been found using the 3D printer as well. Though many positive things were discussed about the 3D printer in the articles, these dark patches were identified as the disadvantages of the 3D printer as well.
Here are the topmost unfavorable disadvantages of the 3D printer.
Energy inefficiency is one of the disadvantages of 3D printing.
As you know the 3D printer of yours consumes a large amount of electricity. If you haven’t noticed that already, you will be able to compare it with the bills from the previous months.
A 3d printer is an item that requires large energy to power up its segments. There is three-dimensional printing as the main task and it has to be powered up with the maximum energy.
The time duration is varied from item to item. So, the length of the energy consumption can decide how much energy has to be expended for the process as well. Researches have been found that the 3d printers require 100 times more than the conventional industries that perform the same tasks. As you know, the world is on the edge of a power crisis and seeking a solution.
So, the 3D printer can be a disaster for those problems as well. It still requires more attention to that problem and an answer will have to be provided before the attention of the entire world is drawn.
It is costlier than any other tech
You must be aware of the technology of the 3D printer if you are already using a 3D printer. Though it has passed few decades since its invention, people still figure out some features as newly needed ones for future use. It is somewhat costly as well.
There are plenty of expensive gadgets in the printer that require high capital. So, you will have to pay a higher amount of money when purchasing the 3D printer as well as its materials.
If you are not giving your efforts to earn money with the 3d printer, it will be a waste of money. Because the 3d printer can still be named as a luxury item in the market. Though you are trying to buy the cheapest item in the market as a 3D printer, you will have to expend a few hundred bucks for it for sure.
Printing materials are not common
The uncommon printing material is another thing you need to worry about 3d printing as it can make you run all around the country. There are some 3d printers that only support only one filament type.
There are many technical specifications when finding the most appropriate material as well. Then you must provide that specified material for your printer. If not, you will have to expend extra money on spare parts eventually.
Plastic is the most common printing material in the market at present, if you are going for another material, you will have to wait or search for them.
It is not as easy as you think
If you have an idea about the 3D printing, that will probably be like taking a photo from your smartphone. But, the truth is, it is not that much easy. You need to have a thorough understanding of 3D printing technology.
If it comes as an example, you will not need any knowledge of programming when using a smartphone or a computer. But you will need all sorts of knowledge when using the 3D printer. Because it doesn’t come with a 100% user-friendly interface.
It requires more and more your involvement in the 3d printing process. this is also one of the disadvantages of 3D printing.
Environment toxicity
This is also a fact most of the people forget. Your 3D printer can make your entire surrounding dirty with its compounds. The dumping materials are the things you need to think of as there is not any effect from the primary outcomes.
You will have a simple understanding of the objects created using the 3d printer if you have a closer look. Most of them are created using decaying and environmentally friendly materials. Unlike the structures you created using the 3d printer, the reactions and the emissions caused by the 3d printing process are harmful to the environment as well as humans.
Plastic creations are the worst
When considering the products that can be produced using the 3d printer, plastic is the major ingredient of the material in them. You will not be able to purchase expensive other materials due to many reasons. But, the quality and the finish of the designs you created using the 3D printer is not as good as other materials.
Wastage of 3D printing is also coming with a high plastic percentage and you will have to find more and more space to landfill them. Plastic is considered one of the worst materials on the earth and it has a high influence on the environment as a harmful component.
Speed is also a factor
There are lots of things scientists try to figure out since the day the 3d printer was invented. The speed of the 3d printing is almost slowest in all other printing formats.
Though you are going to print an item in just a few minutes, it will take days to finalize the entire product. this is also one of the disadvantages of 3D printing. When considering with enterprising build and the 3d printing, the 3d printing is happened to be accepted in the primary age yet. Though the 3d printing process can be completed within a few minutes, it will take years if you are going to print it on a large scale. Then you will have to go for another option for sure.
Threats come online as blueprints
Another thing that comes with 3D printing is the ability to print anything. If you are a toy manufacturer on a large scale, you will have to get permission from many local authorities as well as the government to register your business.
But, if you have a 3D printer, you will not need permission from no one as it is not a thing regulated by any authority. If you want to create a gun, what you need is the blueprints that can be downloaded from the internet in just a few seconds.
Your surrounding can be exposed to many threats with a 3D printer along with just thought if someone needs.
Rights for your items are at stake
Rights are the things that keep you safe from other thieves in your field. There are many things need to clarify any product. But, 3d printers have been used to steal the brand names and popular products.
Counterfeiting has been a major problem that comes with 3D printing. Piracy for many brands has been found in recent times. It has been confirmed that most of them are caused by buying the 3d printer as well. Fake creations from sandals to phones can be produced using 3D printers and that has been a pain for most of the authorities in the world.
Unemployment will be a crisis
This is also one of the disadvantages of 3D printing. The printing and the industries have been the source of living of most of the humans.
They have been working in those fields for several centuries and the 3D printer can replace most of them in a very short time of period. Also, the tasks that can be achieved pretty easily are another disadvantage for the workers and we can see that human workers cannot compete with 3d printers. 3d printers can do manufacturing, filling, structuring, and the probability to make errors is almost 05 when comparing with the man.
Supply on demand is not achievable
We can experience that the demand of the modern world for handcrafts and productions have increased with the population and the technology. People have happened to work more hours to achieve those targets in quantity. But, the quality has reduced due to many reasons.
The 3D printer has been a good solution for most of the problems. But, there is a reduction in the supply due to the less building speed and the supply has decreased in leaps and bounds. If the 3d printer is going to print a complex item, the supply rate will sink further more for sure.
Though the studies are showing that the 3D printers are effective than humans, there will be more to learn for future demand.
The 3D print is not the destination
Your 3d printer can dedicate anything you with its designs. What you need to provide is the blueprints of the thing you want to be printed. But, there are plenty of limitations when considering the factors like colors, shapes, and other parts.
Usually, a 3D printer can provide you simple samples in a few minutes if it is a faster one than the others. But, you will have to add several effects after the printing process if you want a perfect design in the end.
There are limitations to the application of colors and shapes. As an example, you cannot make prints of several colors. The maximum range for coloring options is two. If you want to add more colors, you will have to follow post-printing procedures indeed.
Skills are needed
If you are familiar with the printer, you will not need any knowledge to operate your own 3D printer. But, if you are going to use another model, there will be plenty of things to be learned on that printer as some skills as well as knowledge is required for the 3D printers.
3D printers are complicated devices than any other device. So, you will have to keep learning about the components of the 3D printers as well.
Tolerance range is extremely low
If you spend a few hours or a few days working on your computer, it will do nothing in return. Usually, electrical devices can work without any regular interval. But, the 3D printers are not those types.
They will ask for more modifications and repairs if you keep working with them for long. You have to be very careful when working with those machines as the spare parts are not affordable like a computer or other electrical devices. So, this is also one of the disadvantages of 3D printing.