Product customisation involves adapting the features of final products to meet specific customer requirements by modifying their shape, dimensions, structure, colour, and other parameters. 3D printing enables quick changes to designs without the need to build new production tools, such as moulds or dies, making it perfect for customisation. Customised products can include jewellery, medical implants, fashion accessories, spare parts, and objects of everyday use. With 3D printing, customisation can be done in small batches or even for single copies, increasing product value and customer satisfaction.
Product Customization
Type of technology
Description of the technology
Basic elements
- Customised CAD designs: 3D models customised based on customer specifications, such as dimensions, textures, and shapes.
- Variety of materials: A choice of different materials, such as metals, resins, and polymers, for creating customised parts.
- Colouring and texturing: The use of dyes and surface finishes to impart appropriate aesthetic qualities.
- Prototyping and testing: Creating prototypes of customised products before their final production.
- Design modification software: CAD tools and applications for easy customisation of designs by the end customer.
Industry usage
- Fashion: Customised fashion accessories, such as jewellery, footwear, and handbags.
- Medicine: Creating customised implants and prostheses tailored to the patient’s anatomy.
- Automotive industry: Customising vehicle interior components to suit individual customer preferences.
- Electronics: Production of custom enclosures and electronic components with unusual shapes.
- Advertising: Creating unique promotional materials tailored to a specific event or brand.
Importance for the economy
Product customisation enables companies to create more personalised offers, which increases market competitiveness and customer satisfaction. 3D printing enables products to be quickly customised without modifying production lines, which significantly reduces costs and lead times. In industries such as fashion, medicine, automotive, and electronics, product customisation is a key differentiator for a company’s offerings, enabling it to innovate and build strong customer relationships.
Related technologies
Automation
Visualisation and interaction with customised models in a virtual environment before printing.
Mechanism of action
- Product customisation begins with gathering requirements from the customer, which can include dimensions, shapes, structural features, and materials. On this basis, a CAD model is created and modified according to the user’s preferences. Once the model is approved by the customer, the file is converted into a print-ready format and then processed using 3D printing technology. Depending on the scale of customisation, the process can involve printing a single unique item or producing small batches with customised parameters. After printing, products go through a finishing process (post-processing), which may include polishing, painting, or surface texturing.
Advantages
- Production flexibility: Ability to create small batches or individual parts without additional tooling costs.
- Fast order processing: Reducing the time needed to customise designs and make personalised products.
- Added value: Increasing the value of the product through unique customised features.
- Better fit for purpose: Full customisation of the product to meet ergonomic or functional requirements.
- Uniqueness: Customised products can be one-of-a-kind, which increases their marketability.
Disadvantages
- High costs for small batches: Customisation can be costly when fulfilling unit orders.
- Quality issues: Excessive modification of designs can lead to a reduction in the quality of the final product.
- Technological limitations: Not all materials and printing methods are suitable for complex customisation.
- Risk of intellectual property infringement: The ease of modifying designs can lead to unauthorised copying of solutions.
- Data protection issues: Customisation requires collecting data from customers, which raises privacy risks.
Implementation of the technology
Required resources
- CAD software: Tools for editing and creating customised 3D models.
- Data management systems: Databases to store information on customer preferences and project parameters.
- High-end 3D printers: Equipment for printing models with complex shapes and high surface quality.
- Consumables: A variety of printing materials, such as filaments, resins, and metallic powders.
- Design specialists: Engineers and designers with experience in adapting products to meet specific requirements.
Required competences
- CAD design: Ability to adapt designs to meet individual customer requirements.
- Customer communication: Ability to gather and interpret end-user requirements and preferences.
- Managing the printing process: Knowledge of methods to optimise printing parameters for customisation.
- Post-processing: Ability to finish and give unique surface characteristics to products.
- Data security: Knowledge of the principles of personal data protection and processing in customisation.
Environmental aspects
- Raw material consumption: Greater consumption of materials in the production of single copies or small batches.
- Emissions of pollutants: Emissions from 3D printing and surface chemical treatment in finishing processes.
- Waste generated: Residual materials that cannot be reused in subsequent print cycles.
- Recycling: Difficulties in recycling customised products, especially those made of composites.
- Energy consumption: High energy consumption of advanced printing systems and post-processing equipment.
Legal conditions
- Protection of intellectual property: Regulations for the protection of CAD designs, 3D models, and technological solutions used in the creation of customised products.
- Personal data security: Customer data protection regulations, especially for the processing of sensitive data for customisation purposes (e.g. GDPR in the EU).
- Product certification: Certification requirements for customised products, especially for medical implants and critical components (e.g. ISO 13485 standards for medical devices).
- Consumer protection: Safety regulations and product compliance with consumer protection requirements (e.g. CE marking for products intended for the European market).
- Environmental regulations: Standards for waste management and emission reduction in unit and low-volume production using 3D printing technology.