Benefits of 3D Printing
3D printing Skookum Works two-way radio guards. Our 2-way portable radio guards are designed to prevent accidentally bumping the volume and channel knobs. We design and test our 2-way radio guards and speaker microphone guards locally in Squamish, BC, Canada.
Why do we choose 3D print manufacturing for our products at Skookum Works? There are three reasons we feel 3D printing is beneficial to both us and our customers.
What is 3D printing?
3D printing is a type of additive manufacturing that lays down thin layers of melted plastic and “builds up” the part that you are making after designing the product in 3D CAD software. 3D printing is different from the traditional method of manufacturing parts which is done via injection moulding where you inject molten plastic into a metal mould. 3D printing is a newer technology that is starting to change the manufacturing landscape.
We’ve chosen to use 3D printing rather than injection moulding for several different reasons:
quick changes and innovation
Additive manufacturing allows us to develop prototypes much faster than using injection molds. If any change to a part needs to be made, it can be done so in a matter of hours. With injection moulding, this could take weeks or months and require the creation of new, expensive metal moulds. Those costs can be passed down to the customers and can result in the new versions being delayed. Using 3D printing allows us to offer our customers the new versions of our products immediately. January was a very busy month focused on product design at Skookum Works. After 100+ hours of designing and testing prototypes based on our customers feedback, we released four new product updates in January 2024. The beauty of 3D printing is it allows us to quickly make changes when we see a way to make our product better.
Customization
3D printing allows us to create customized parts. It’s very easy for us to change small features and add custom text and logos to parts if needed. Making customizations quickly and easily means less cost to the customer.
Made to order
We don’t need to keep a large inventory of products as most orders are made when ordered. This also means customers always get the newest and best version of our products because we don’t have to clear out old inventory before selling the most up to date designs.
You may have heard of 3D printing before and thought it was only for decorative parts, toys or hobbyists but it can very much be used for functional parts as well. The machines capable of 3D printing continue to evolve and are now capable of providing similar results to injection molding. The key is having the knowledge to design each product using 3D CAD software so that the products are strong, use the correct materials and settings to get the properties you need for a functional part.
3D printing Sk hokum Works HOT MIC speaker microphone guards. Our guards are designed to prevent accidentally bumping the push-to-talk (PTT) button on speaker mics.
Our Products
Our two-way radio guards are designed for industries that use 2-way portable radios and speaker microphones: emergency responders (police, fire, paramedics, search and rescue), security, ski patrol, manufacturing, utility companies, forestry, transportation and hospitality.
