Post-processing has significant costs, especially if done by hand. Manual postprocessing is labor intensive, not scalable, and will become unsustainable in large series production. Although not often or explicitly discussed, the revenue potential for the post-processing sector stems from the removal of labor costs and inefficiencies from the post-processing process.
The cost of post-processing can amount to up to 20-30% of the total manufacturing effort; however, recent developments in 3D printing and post-processing automation are forecasted to bring down these costs. There are companies, such as DyeMansion, that solely focus on post-processing. Other companies have embedded post-processing systems into their 3D printers to forgo some of the necessary post printing steps.
Another ongoing challenge when it comes to 3D printing post-processing is how these supplemental operations are qualified or standardized. For heavily regulated industries like aerospace, automotive, and medical there are nonetheless limited standards on exact operations for handling post-processing operations.
