FDM 3D printing is a hell of a popular process to create plastic pars at the moment. The industry has never seen such a quick rise to fame with a technology proven to be nothing but efficient at any turn. It also helps a lot that 3D printing is inexpensive, and when it comes to the whole of manufacturing, it essentially killed the long waits to get a finished mold to start to work with. The injection process has gotten incredibly inexpensive when it comes to plastic resins, and that's why so many people are getting into the game even at this stage when the big players have their grinds in motion for a while now.

FDM 3D Printed Molds

If you are looking for the best way to work with 3D printing in the developing stage, you can always go for FDM 3D printed molds. They are not the most durable molds you'll have, but they are great for basic-scale prototypes and smaller parts. 3D printing is more suited to make prototypes, but you can look at this from a couple of angles: one is innovation, the other is costs. If you are on a very tight budget, the setup is minimal, and the time can be on your side depending on how you choose to work with this. If you are approaching a large-scale project is best to go with the safest route and a classic tailored mold.

Which Industries Are Suited for This

We can tell you with some authority that this is all over the place. The mass-produced jewelry industry has been using this approach for quite a while now. They know their customer base pretty well to understand that they are not looking for high-end products, they are just looking for a lovely ornament, and FDM 3D printing provides just that to make a mold from an entirely disposable master. After that, you can metal-cast away as many pieces as you need. The dental industry is in the game too, using FDM 3D Printing to create masters of their patient's teeth and using the tech to develop dental aligners using medical resins.

What's the best hardware for this?

While it may sound like the most basic approach, we promise you it's not. FDM 3D printers are the way to go. They are common enough to be accessible price-wise, and they are useful enough to handle the stereolithographic procedures required. These devices are essentially desktop printers for raw materials, which means they are very easy to use. It doesn't get any better than this if you wish to approach your workshop of choice with a finished product in hand. You will be saving a lot of money in preproduction, but you better know what you are doing; otherwise, the technicians will let you know why your FDM 3D Printed prototype doesn't work.