Evolving with our technology

In this article, we’re looking at the changes that have happened in the industry over the last few years, what we anticipate for the future and how the team here at Ogle is making continuous advancements to ensure we’re delivering the best results for our customers.

Project delivery and timescales

Let’s get started with the biggest change we’re noticing in the world of industrial 3D printing and model making which is project timescales. As the technology has advanced in this sector, so too has the demand for ever-complex products with increasingly shrinking lead times. All this with the same exceptional quality and craftsmanship as before.

Technology advancements

At Ogle, we’re used to supporting demanding sectors with challenging geometries and have noticed that the same processes are now being used more and more for low-volume production where customisation is becoming more prominent, and products are not necessarily going to be produced in the high volumes suited for injection moulding.

In the last 18 months, we’ve invested over £1.5m in new machinery and it’s the reliability, traceability and accuracy that’s continuing to improve meaning we can deliver higher value, low-production parts for sectors like the medical industry where traditional methods of production aren’t feasible.

Complex geometries

Coupling the advancements in technology with a greater availability of materials means we’re creating complex designs and features in tighter timescales, for a wider range of uses, such as bringing in a greater level of functionality for SLA prototypes. This means our customers can analyse and evaluate designs much faster and in a more efficient way.

Ultimately, this means product development cycles are shorter and products can be developed and out to market with lower costs and at a much faster rate than previously possible.

Retaining traditional skills

While technology has furthered the efficiency of industrial 3D printing and model making for multiple sectors, the advancement in technology alone is still not sufficient to deliver the quality required by the modern customer. That’s why we’ve always seen the importance of training and retaining skills within the business as something of paramount importance. Machines can speed up timescales but alone require a trained individual to ensure the quality is consistent and parts function in the right way. It’s the unique combination of newer machine capabilities and our model makers’ hand skills that allow for a wide range of complex models of the highest quality to be delivered in reduced timescales.