When is low-volume production profitable? Comparison with other manufacturing methods

What is low-volume production?

Low-volume production involves manufacturing a small number of units of a given product — usually from a few to several hundred or a maximum of several thousand. Unlike mass production, it does not require expensive molds and production lines. It is flexible, fast, and increasingly chosen by companies that want to launch new products on the market without risk.

Why do companies resort to low-volume production?

Recent studies show that tech companies are increasingly focusing on short production runs. The reason? Changing customer needs, the development of test versions of products, and the growing role of personalization. In a scientific article published by MDPI (2023), low-volume production supported by computer simulations reduced order fulfillment time by half—from 19 to 9 days. This shows that with the right approach,

When is it really worth it?

1. When you want to enter the market quickly – a new innovative product that is rapidly gaining popularity,

2. When you take into account the start-up costs – the initial costs of manufacturing, e.g., an injection mold, are high and unacceptable.

3. When you need flexibility – real-time adaptation of elements to a given project.

4. When you need unparalleled quality – prints are often indistinguishable from details produced using injection molding.

Modern low-volume methods allow for very high quality – comparable to injection molding. An example? Freeform Injection Molding technology.

Comparison of methods — which is more profitable?

Examples of low-volume production applications

– A startup testing a new product,

– A company ordering technical parts for prototypes,

– Lighting manufacturer requiring 150 lamp housings,

– Dentist printing custom connectors,

– R&D department, which introduces new product iterations,

Case study – Production of M6 plastic screws – 50 mm

CNC Machining	3D printing – SLA	Injection Molding
Initial costs [PLN]
Production preparation	Production preparation	Production of an injection mold
500	250	50000
Production costs per unit [PLN]
32	18	0,50

Conclusions

In this simulation, the high initial costs of mold production ruled out the injection method, with printing and CNC turning being good alternatives in this case. However, for a certain number of units, mold production became profitable, specifically at:

• 1570 – parts for CNC machining,
• 2845 – pieces for SLA printing.

What next?

If you want to find out which production method will be best for your project, contact us — we will prepare a comparison of costs and technologies for your specific series.