What matters most in additive manufacturing service.
Inconsistency is one of the major bugaboos of the additive manufacturing (AM) industry.
In the absence of repeatability and predictability, confidence in process as relatively young as 3D printing tends to waver. Arguably, that’s one of the reasons the wider adoption of AM has taken longer than anticipated. But it’s not just a matter of machine or material performance.
When equipment doesn’t function as expected, it falls to the OEM’s customer service and support team to diagnose the issue and provide a solution – and in a manufacturing environment, that should happen quickly enough that production isn’t compromised.
For a process as complex as 3D printing, customer support is especially vital to ensuring success and, as a potential customer, it can even be the determiner of which OEM you end up using.
Whether in our personal or professional lives, we’ve all dealt with lousy customer service. If it’s bad enough, we might end up saying, “Never again,” and swear off the provider for good regardless of product quality. That’s easier said than done when we’re talking about industrial equipment with a six- or seven-figure price tag, so ideally you’ll know what to expect before you sign the check.
To that end, engineering.com is running a survey to gain a better understanding of customer support from the major 3D printer OEMs. We want to hear what you think, so follow the link below, answer a few questions and, in appreciation of your time, you can enter to win a $25 gift card from Amazon.
