Different routes, one big decision: Experts share their best advice on when startups should use direct 3D printing directly, 3D-printed molds, or conventional injection molds.
DKK 25,000–250,000 that’s what the injection mold for just one part of a product can cost you. For a product containing four molded parts, the total tooling investment could reach DKK 1 million. For a small startup, that can take a serious bite out of the runway.
Before investing in a mold experts on the topic gave their best advice to hardware startups at a Future Manufacturers event.
How likely is your design to change?
First things first.Anders Michelsen from Kapacitet A/S explained a basic rule of thumb: Startups should assess the risk of design changes to the product.
- High risk of design changes: Choose a flexible, low-investment approach such as direct 3D printing.
- Some risk of design changes: Consider producing small batches or using a temporary 3D-printed mold.
- Low risk of design changes and high-volume demand: Conventional injection molding may offer the lowest unit cost.
However, it can be tricky to define your risk of changes, and that is why Anders’ best advice was:
”Talk to people. It’s about asking the good questions early in the process.”
How to move forward without spending DKK 1 mio.
And now a bit more about the tricky middle ground: When you have some risk of changes in your product, but need to move forward to attract investors and test your product’s viability. This middle ground is exactly where you can use temporary 3D-printed molds.
“Prove the market. It is ok if the product sells with a small loss if you know how to scale it once you prove the market,” said Peter Bay, Krebs & Co, to the startups gathered at TechStation | HardTech Innovation Hub for the event. He has successfully used this approach in several product-development projects.
The temporary 3D-printed mold makes it possible to produce a larger initial batch at a much lower cost. It allows you to get products into customers’ hands, validate that there’s real demand, and only then invest in conventional tooling when you’re ready to scale.
The large one-off batches
Marlena Laura Jørss from 3D Infill came with another middle ground example, where 3D molds also make sense: When a product needs to be made in one larger batch. It could be spare parts for the production or large series that does not repeat themselves such as products for a marketing campaign.
Can I make 3D-printed molds myself?
When you want to make 3D printed molds to test your product like Peter Bay, there are two solutions: the do-it-yourself route or talking to a specialist.
Here, Lasse G. Staal from 3DP molds argues that the majority of startups should contact a specialist instead of walking the DIY route.
“It takes a lot of knowledge and can be very time-consuming. You can easily spend 2-4 weeks on designing a mold with CAD, if you are not familiar with it. Focus on the product development instead,” he explains.
According to him, the price for a setup for making prototypes with 3D printed molds is 30-40.000 DKK.
If you need more help on the topic above, such as a mentor who has tried the journey from 3D-print to mold or the right contacts to the right companies to make your own journey, do not hesitate to contact us and apply to become a member of the Future Manufacturers community. It is free, and there are no strings attached.
Future Manufacturers is a collaboration between DI Produktion, MADE, and Industriens Fond.
Three methods: Molds and 3D-print
Direct 3D printing: The final part itself is printed.
3D printed mold: A temporary tool is printed and used to produce a limited number of molded parts.
Conventional injection mold: A more durable production tool intended for larger volumes.
Future Manufacturers
Future Manufacturers is a community and a startup program made in a collaboration between Danish Industry and MADE with the purpose of helping hardware startups go from prototype to full-scale manufacturing.
