Discover what small series is all about with 3DEXPERIENCE Make, the on-demand manufacturing platform from Dassault Systèmes, and its partner Ligerium 3D.
What is small series production?
Small-batch manufacturing is the production of many different products in small quantities. She favors variation, agility and the ability to react quickly to opportunities.
It is the opposite of high-volume manufacturing, where the focus is on manufacturing a very large number of identical products.
Small-batch manufacturing is not a new concept, but the constraints of manual production techniques have always limited its use. Advances in computer-aided design, automated machining, and 3D printing have overcome these limitations by providing greater speed, flexibility, and control.
Increasingly affordable technologies like these are helping companies produce low-volume goods that can be easily adapted and customized in response to today's rapidly changing world.
Small-batch manufacturing has traditionally been favored by small businesses and artisans, largely because they could not afford the high investments in machinery and buildings required for mass production.
Today, large companies are realizing the advantages of small series manufacturing. This method is part of the growing trend of creating multiple mini-factories close to customers rather than serving the whole world from a centralized mega-factory.