In today’s manufacturing landscape, companies face the challenge of balancing rapid prototyping, cost efficiency, and scalability.
While additive manufacturing — like 3D printing — has gained momentum as a powerful tool for innovation, traditional methods such as CNC machining and injection molding continue to play a critical role in high-volume production.
When deciding whether to partner with a 3D printing service bureau or a manufacturing-as-a-service (MaaS) provider, it’s essential to understand the value of choosing a partner who offers both additive and traditional manufacturing processes to ensure your business gets unbiased, strategic recommendations that best meet your needs.
Let’s explore the six key advantages of working with a MaaS provider that offers both additive and traditional approaches.
1. Comprehensive Manufacturing Solutions Give You Flexibility
A MaaS provider offers a range of technologies, including both additive manufacturing (such as selective laser sintering (SLS), stereolithography (SLA), and fused deposition modeling (FDM)) and traditional processes (such as CNC machining and injection molding).
This variety ensures that businesses are not limited to one manufacturing process but can instead choose the most suitable technology based on specific project requirements, cost constraints, and production scale.
For example, additive polymers like Nylon PA12 or ABS are perfect for low-volume production runs or highly complex parts with intricate geometries. Additive manufacturing offers design freedom and quick turnarounds, making it ideal for prototypes or small-batch runs.
However, when a business needs to mass-produce plastic components with tight tolerances, injection molding becomes the superior option in terms of cost per unit and scalability.
Similarly, metal additive manufacturing using materials, such as titanium or stainless steel, is perfect for lightweight, complex parts in industries like aerospace or medical devices. The ability to print intricate geometries without the limitations of traditional tooling makes it invaluable.
However, when high precision, surface finish, and cost efficiency in high-volume metal part production are critical, CNC machining is often the better option.
With a MaaS provider, companies can leverage the strengths of both technologies, ensuring the best solution for each stage of the product lifecycle
2. Tailored Recommendations Get You to the Right Manufacturing Solution
One of the risks of working with a 3D printing service bureau that only offers additive processes is the tendency for those providers to push additive solutions, even when they might not be the best fit for your project.
Additive manufacturing is excellent for certain applications but is not always the most cost-effective or scalable option.
A MaaS provider, on the other hand, offers unbiased recommendations because they have access to both additive and traditional methods.
They can assess your specific needs — such as the long-term vision for your product, the expected volume of parts, and the most competitive cost of goods sold (COGS).
By tailoring the solution to your goals, a MaaS provider ensures that you use the right technology for both prototyping and full-scale production, helping you stay competitive in your market.
3. Ensure Strategic Advantages for Long-Term Competitiveness
Your choice of manufacturing technology plays a vital role in your go-to-market (GTM) strategy.
When you partner with a provider that offers both additive and traditional solutions, you ensure that your product can scale effectively and reach the market at the right time and cost.
For instance, using additive manufacturing for early-stage prototyping can accelerate product development, allowing you to test and iterate designs quickly.
But when it’s time to move to mass production, switching to injection molding or CNC machining can help you reduce costs and meet higher production demands.
A MaaS provider helps you navigate this transition, ensuring that you are always using the most cost-effective and scalable process for your needs.
4. Allow You to Optimize Cost and Scale Your Business
Cost is a critical factor when deciding between additive manufacturing and traditional manufacturing.
For low-volume production or highly complex parts, additive methods can offer significant savings, particularly when tooling costs are high in traditional methods.
However, as volumes increase, traditional processes like CNC machining or injection molding often offer better cost structures due to their scalability.
A MaaS provider will help you balance the benefits of both methods, ensuring that you optimize your COGS at every stage of the product lifecycle. Whether you need rapid prototyping, small-batch production, or large-scale manufacturing, they will recommend the right solution to fit your budget and production goals.
5. Receive Unbiased, High-Level Expertise for Your Business Needs
When you partner with a MaaS provider, you benefit from their unbiased expertise across both additive and traditional manufacturing technologies.
Unlike a service bureau that only offers additive processes, a MaaS provider can offer a holistic view of your manufacturing needs, recommending technology that will deliver the best results in terms of quality, cost, and production efficiency.
For example, if you need to produce a part that requires high precision and excellent surface finish, a MaaS provider might recommend CNC machining over metal additive manufacturing, depending on the specific requirements.
This ensures that you are always using the right process for the job, rather than being limited to what a provider can offer.
6. Develop Future-Proof Manufacturing Strategies
The ability to adapt and scale as your business grows is crucial. Partnering with a MaaS provider that offers both additive and traditional manufacturing solutions allows you to future-proof your manufacturing strategy.
As your product evolves, your manufacturing needs may shift from low-volume, high-complexity parts to high-volume, high-precision components.
By working with a provider with a broad range of technologies, you can be confident that your manufacturing solution will evolve alongside your business, ensuring you always have access to the right technology for the job.
The Bottom Line
The choice is clear when deciding between a 3D printing service bureau that only offers additive solutions and a MaaS provider that offers both additive and traditional manufacturing.
A MaaS provider delivers tailored recommendations that align with your long-term goals, production volumes, and cost-efficiency needs, ensuring you remain competitive in your market.
Choosing a partner with access to both additive and traditional technologies helps you optimize your manufacturing process, reduce costs, and scale effectively. By selecting the right solution at each stage of production, you can future-proof your manufacturing strategy and position your business for long-term success.
Ready to optimize your manufacturing strategy? Partner with A3D Manufacturing, a leading Manufacturing as a Service (MaaS) provider, to ensure you get the best recommendations for your unique production needs, whether you require additive or traditional manufacturing solutions. Let A3D Manufacturing help you stay competitive, efficient, and ready for the future
