Historically, companies that wanted to produce a product first had to create tooling or molds before producing a single end-use product. And, when considering a target distribution less than 20-to-30,000-units, the associated costs can easily reach into the tens of thousands of dollars, and the wait time for an injection mold to be fabricated can stretch up to six weeks. That’s why 3D printing is such a great option for low-cost fabrication, especially when the production run is low volume,less than 1,000 pieces. The technology can increase a manufacturer’s production rate up to 20-times over the traditional process, and still cost less.