Tips For Buying A 3D Printer For The Office

If you work in an office that needs to create prototypes of equipment or other items, you will want to make sure that you have a way of creating those prototypes right in the office in order to speed up development. One great way to do this is to purchase a 3D printer. This will allow your employees to design the prototype on their computer and send it to the printer to have it be made in the office within a few hours, rather than offsite within a few days or weeks. However, a 3D printer is an expensive piece of equipment, so you will have to be sure that you are getting the most value for your money. Here are some tips for buying a 3D printer for your office.

1. Think About What You're Going to Make

If your prototypes have a lot of interlocking parts, you will need to purchase a printer that uses acrylonitrile butadiene styrene plastic due to the fact that it is more flexible. The other polymer types are not as flexible and will not be as suitable for interlocking parts. However, you will need to wait longer for prototypes made for this type of plastic to cool because they need to be fully cooled in order to not warp. Other plastics are more resistant to warping. You also need to make sure that the office where your printer is located is well ventilated because this type of plastic can produce fumes.

If your prototypes do not need interlocking pieces, then you should go with poly lactic acid polymers. These are less likely to warp because they cool down really quickly and do not produce fumes when you use them. However, they are not as good for interlocking parts.

2. Check the Output of the Printer

Finally, before you make a final decision about a printer, make sure that you are looking at its detail level and print speed. The detail level is how small of a detail the printer can make without getting messy. The print speed is how quickly the printer can finish a particular prototype or product. The best way to assess these metrics is to look at the output of the printer online. See what other people have been able to make with the printer and how long it took them to do so. This will allow you to get the best printer possible for your speed and detail needs.

For more information, talk to a company such as Baker Street Office Furnishings Corp.

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