From prosthesis to manufacturing, industries use 3D printers to produce samples, prototypes and for mass manufacturing. One sector which has yet to leverage the full potential is the fashion industry. The additive manufacturing technology has the capacity to disrupt the fashion industry like never before. The technology has amazing potential, such as the ability to produce things in smaller quantities and create shorter lead times. It’s high time that the fashion industry embraces additive manufacturing to innovate new materials and designs and create ripples in the contemporary fashion world.
How 3D printers advances fashion designing
1) 3D printers curb unnecessary costs
Bringing new designs to life takes time and money. In the fashion industry, a design concept usually takes 2-3 iterations before the design is finalized for production. This means that the product is slower to be released on the market and the overall production costs can be high.
3D printers can reduce prototyping costs! 3D printed prototypes are usually made from a variety of plastics and materials that can create a beautiful, exact model of the design. It’s easy to work out the design kinks and make adjustments using 3D printing.
2) 3D Printers eliminate unnecessary waste
Traditional manufacturing processes tend to result in a tremendous amount of waste. Although companies using traditional manufacturing do their best to recycle waste, it takes time and effort to figure out the best possible environment-friendly way to get rid of the waste. Furthermore, recycling is not necessarily convenient or easy because the fashion industry has to determine how to utilize the recycled product in their industry. This is making additive manufacturing a quick, sustainable option. 3D printers use lasers to layer on plastic additive, which means only the required amount of material goes into making the prototype or model.
3D Printers create a competitive edge
With the help of 3D printers, the fashion industry can reduce the life cycle of products and come out with products with improved and enhanced features. This holds true for products such as jewelry and shoes. It gives the designers a competitive edge and empowers them to create prototypes more rapidly until the final design is approved. It allows the designers to think out-of-the-box and come out with models which are loved and liked by the target audience.
Furthermore, the fashion sector is prone to copy-cat designs, but the additive manufacturing technology nearly eliminates this possibility. A third-party can never claim innovation for a design printed using the technology because its unique file is stored away in-house.
