Custom printers vs Standard: The Debate of Complexity, Cost and Quality
Eric Leclair, co-founder and President of a rubber manufacturer that serves several verticles including the Medical industry, wrote an article a while back called Custom parts vs. standard parts-demystifying the debate.
In this article Eric weighs the pros and cons of using standard parts in new product designs, versus the apparently higher cost and risk of more desirable outcomes that customized components can bring to innovative applications. He states that many firms force “standardization” on their designers and engineers because they believe that this drives down costs, both upfront design product design costs and during the entire life cycle of the product: inventories can be managed better, multiple suppliers can be engaged and technical support and customer service is facilitated.