Study of the complementary usages of selective laser sintering during the high volume production of plastic parts

Abstract

Purpose This paper aims to present a comparison between selective laser sintering and injection moulding technology for the production of small batches of plastic products. Design/methodology/approach The comparison is based on analysing the time–cost efficiencies of each manufacturing process regarding the size of the series for the selected product sample. Both technologies are described and the times and costs of those individual processes needed to create a final product are assessed when using each of the manufacturing processes. Findings The study shows that the time-cost efficiency of the selected laser sintering technology increases according to the complexity of the product and decreases with increasing series size and product volume. Research limitations/implications The study and absolute values of the presented results are limited to a selected plastic product, but the series size-focused efficiency analysis could be expanded to general cases. Originality/value The presented analysis could be used as a general guideline for a decision-making process regarding the more efficient manufacturing method. In addition, the results show the viability of using selective laser sintering during the early stages of production when fast product availability is required, regardless of the series size. Also, some complementary effects of using both technologies in the serial production of the same part are discussed.