If anyone is looking for a good introduction to using (FDM) 3d printing for production, this is a great video of how super-car manufacturer Koenigsegg approaches them:
The key to making FDM parts work for your use-case is generally not buying the most expensive printer - it comes down to material selection, print orientation (others have mentioned anisotropicity which is incredibly important to understand), and designing for manufacturability.
I've spent the last three years running a 3D printing / rapid prototyping lab and love to teach people about the subject, so if anyone is interested in getting into the subject please feel free to get in touch.
I'm curious about the laser scanner that he showed. What kind of resolution does it provide? And how much does it cost?
Really, I don't care so much about the one he showed, but I want to know if it is possible to get one with high resolution (fraction of a mm) for a reasonable price.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dw6cs7opvzA
The key to making FDM parts work for your use-case is generally not buying the most expensive printer - it comes down to material selection, print orientation (others have mentioned anisotropicity which is incredibly important to understand), and designing for manufacturability.
I've spent the last three years running a 3D printing / rapid prototyping lab and love to teach people about the subject, so if anyone is interested in getting into the subject please feel free to get in touch.