What are the differences between injection molding vs 3D printing?

The differences between injection molding vs 3D printing stem from the fundamental elements of each process including equipment, material use and design flexibility. This means they produce components in different quantities, with various quality and price levels.

Quantity
Injection molding is a process that's designed for producing components at scale. Able to create multiple components at once due to the cavities in the mold tool. Injection molded parts can also be produced quickly thanks to the high heat and pressure used to mold the material.
In contrast, 3D printing can only produce one component at a time layer by layer. This means it's only efficient at producing small batches of components.