BENEFICIOS DIRECTOS OBTENIDOS EN LA VIDA REAL MEDIANTE
LA IMPLEMENTACION DE LA TECNOLOGIA Stratasys FDM
MEJORA DE LA COMPETITIVIDAD
ACIST
Medical Systems (Medicina): "There are
so many benefits to using FDM parts, but it has to become a mindset." Dave Scott, Acist Medical Systems
BMW
(Automoción): "FDM is
taking on increasing importance as an alternative manufacturing method for
components made in small numbers." Günter Schmid, BMW
Culligan
(Productos de consumo): "I
wouldn't trade in our FDM system for anything. It’s a tool we use to showcase
our capabilities when our dealers and resellers come into the office for a
tour. They are always very impressed." Steve Reif, Director of
Reserach & Development, Culligan
Diebold
(Cajeros automáticos): “Because the
parts held up under these conditions, I’m confident that we can begin rapid
manufacturing of ATM components with FDM.” Rich Lute, Diebold
Digital
Mechanics (Prototipado Rápido): "Direct
digital manufacturing has become a key revenue stream and competitive
differentiator for our business." Fredrik Finnberg, Digital Mechanics
AB
East
Tennesee State University (Centro tecnológico) "Combining the durability of ABS with the power to immediately
improve and repeatedly test models makes our Dimension system the
quintessential problem solving tool." Bill Hemphill, Associate
Professor, ETSU
NEPTEC
(Aeroespacial): "Due to the
extreme nature of the environment, every space mission presents an elevated
level of risk. By providing accurate, three-dimensional information and clearly
communicating the extent of the damage, NASA was able to make a better educated
decision, which, in turn, brought the Endeavour crew home safely." Maureen
Campbell, Marketing Manager.
NorSAP
(Productos comerciales): "Who would
have guessed we’d be actively engaged in rapid manufacturing so soon after investing
in a new rapid prototyping tool?" Andy Smith, SAP
Wincon-Nixdorf: "The ability to come up with immediate
solutions is of vital importance, and FDM technology helps us accomplish just
that." Wolfgang Hamann, Product Manager, Transaction Terminals
Xerox (Tooling): “If you can imagine it and
draw it in CAD, you can build it in FDM.” Duane Byerley, Xerox
REDUCCION DE COSTES
Advanced
Composite Structures (Aeroespacial): “Moving
from traditional methods involving CNC machining to producing composite tooling
with FDM has helped us substantially improve our competitive position.” (Bruce Anning,
Owner, ACS)
Altimate
Medical (Medicina): "A model
that cost $1,000 and took three weeks to get from a service bureau can now be
made internally for around $100." Gabe Routh, Product
Development Manager, Altimate Medical Inc.
Aviradyne
(Productos comerciales): "We can
produce a new sandwich composite first article ready for testing in about
one-third the time and half the cost of others using traditional methods." Ronald Jones,
CTO, Aviradyne Technologies
Baldor
(Productos comerciales): "3D models
that once cost $500 through a service bureau can now be produced for less than
$15 in house. The dramatic time and costs savings allow us more flexibility to
make fast adjustments throughout the design cycle." Dewayne May CAD
Engineer, Baldor Electric Company
Bell
& Howell (Productos comerciales): "Once the design is frozen, the manufacturing costs are fairly
fixed. Any changes you make in assembly technique or construction material
won't affect manufacturing costs much. If we change a component design after a short time, it might be
more cost effective to build our own parts rather than pay for tooling and
production." Michael Jones, Bell & Howell
Black
& Decker (Productos de consumo): "Before using a 3D printer it would typically take three to five
days to get a prototype back from the service bureau. Having the machine onsite
has made a phenomenal difference to this procedure. Parts that previously took
three days can now be ready in just a few hours." Steve Swaddle,
Manager of Technology, Black and Decker
Connecticut
Corsair (Aeroespacial): “We’re trying
to blend the old and the new, applying new FDM technology to the old
craftsmanship ways of doing things.” (Craig McBurney, Founder and Project
Manager, Connecticut Corsair)
DST
Control (Aeroespacial): "Direct
digital manufacturing speeds up the development process more than we could have
anticipated." (Jan-Erik Strömberg, DST Control)
Dana
Corp. (Automoción): "Spending
a few thousand dollars on a prototype saves us months in engineering
time." Bruce Vanisacker, Dana Corporation
Dial
(Productos de consumo): "The
system paid for itself in about two months time and the number of models we now
produce has increased tenfold since we purchased the FDM 3D printer." Rick
Althouse, Senior Package Engineer, Dial Home Care
EOIR
(Defensa): "The FDM machine paid for
itself in just two months, creating parts." John Moulton, EOIR
Harman
Becker (Automoción): "Having
the machine in the room purring in the corner and constantly delivering our
prototypes has made it an integral part of our team." Robert Emmanuel,
Project Engineer, Harman Becker
Indian
Springs (Productos comerciales): "We
save nearly 70 percent in production costs alone, and even more importantly, we
deliver the part in just 72 hours. This would have taken us at least two to
three weeks had we produced the parts in aluminum." Shawn Ferguson,
president of Indian Springs
Instrumentation
Laboratory (Medicina): "FDM helped
us achieve a manufacturing cost reduction of 40%. That’s 10% more than the
traditional approach would have offered." Scott Notaro, Medical Engineering Manager,
Instrumentation Laboratory
ISC
(Productos de consumo): “We rely on
functional prototypes to test usability, and the FDM system allows us to
produce multiple early prototypes without the cost of a third party
fabricator.” Mark Owens, Mechanical Engineering Manager, Industrial
Scientific Corporation
Kelly
(Aeroespacial): “The lead time
for 500 units has been shortened to three days. In the aircraft world, that’s
quick for certified production parts.” (Justin Kelly, Kelly Manufacturing
Company)
Kirby
Morgan (Productos comerciales): "In
the past, we were unable to fill custom product requests in such a short time
period. The modified regulator we developed for the U.S. Military displayed the
major speed and efficiency improvements you can achieve with the introduction
of an in-house FDM system." Pete Ryan, Senior Engineer, Kirby Morgan
Dive Systems
Lamborghini
(Automoción): “The
many iterations of prototypes produced during the design process were
instrumental in providing better fit during assembly and improved load paths.” Paolo Feraboli,
Lamborghini
Loxus
(Productos comerciales): "Parts that
used to take us six weeks at the machine shop and cost $500 to $1500 per item,
I now turn around in hours for less than $20. I estimate our small shop has
saved over $100,000 in machining and prototyping since we purchased the printer
three years ago." Chad Hall, Ioxus COO
MSA
(Productos industriales): “Our ability to
produce a number of different variants in a short period of time greatly
increases the design reliability of our products. In addition, we save money in
development by being able to produce our own models in-house." Detlef
Kielow, Senior Engineer, MSA AUER
Parvus
(Productos comerciales): "ABS parts
fit together so well, we went directly into production - with no design
changes." Troy Takach, CEO, Parvus Corporation
Piper
Aircraft (Aeroespacial): “I can program
an FDM part in 10 minutes while a typical CNC program takes four hours to
write.” (Jacob Allenbaugh, Manufacturing Engineer, Piper Aircraft)
Polaris
(Automoción): "Every time we avoid cutting
a tool, we save 8 to 12 weeks." Randy Larson, Polaris
RLM
(Defensa): “In seven days we produced
perfectly matching gear set castings that met drawing requirements and
specifications and were functional as part of the assembly.” Rick Meachum,
Vice President of Sales, RLM Industries
Rocket
Crafters (Aeroespacial): “Additive
manufacturing technology has been the key to producing fuel grains with higher
consistency at a lower cost and shorter leadtimes than was possible in the
past.” (Ron Jones, President and Chief Technology Officer, Rocket Crafters
Inc.)
Script
Pro (Farmacia): “The FDM
machine paid for itself within months of purchase." Bill Thomas,
ScriptPro
Selectech
Geospatial (Aeroespacial): “It is a
speedy way to shake down new products before committing to a final design.”
Frank Beafore, SelectTech Geospatial executive director
Sheppard
Air Force Base (Defensa): “FDM has saved
the government over $3.8 million to date with an expected 10-to-15-year savings
of over $15 million.“ Mitchell Weatherly, Sheppard AFB, Chief, Trainer
Development Flight
Thermal
Dynamics (Productos comerciales): “FDM
system actually paid for itself in only seven months.” Matt Colpitts,
Thermal Dynamics
Thogus Products (Productos comerciales): “We save in excess of $150,000 per year with FDM. I can’t imagine not having this technology in a manufacturing setting. It is as critical to our business as e-mail.” Matt Hlavin, President, Thogus Products
Tiberius
(Defensa): "We're able to cut
the design time and problem resolution time in half, while at the same time
doubling quality." Dennis Tiberius, Tiberius Arms
University
of Alabama in Hunstsville (Centro tecnológico):
“The Fortus system offered the right balance of part functionality, material
choices, and operating cost that met our needs best. We couldn’t be happier
with our decision.” Stephen Collins, Prototype Development Specialist,
University of Alabama in Huntsville
University
of California San Francisco (Centro tecnológico): "The FDM system enables the fabrication of
custom centrifuge rotors for as little as $80, whereas a comparable commercial
product would likely cost thousands of dollars.” (…) “There's
hardly a microscope in our building that does not have some 3D-printed part on
it.” Joe Derisi, UCSF engineer
University of Central Florida (Centro tecnológico): “The frame of the underwater unmanned vehicle had to
be strong, yet it’s so complex it would have cost a fortune to machine. FDM
gave us the ability to economically rapid manufacture just one.” Christopher Sprague, University of Central Florida (UCF)
University of Texas Dallas (Centro tecnológico): "The FDM system has
accelerated this important research by a factor of four or five, and it gives
me the freedom to think outside the box. I am not constrained to incremental
steps. I can design an entirely new device and print it in a single day."
Dr. Robert Rennaker II, Associate Professor, University of Texas-Dallas
WPI (Medicina): “FDM dramatically reduced both the cost and time
involved in making these components, while the additive manufacturing process
provides nearly unlimited design flexibility.”
Gregory Fischer, WPI Automation and Interventional Medicine Laboratory
Xerox
(Networking): "The team bought into FDM
system because it means we can prove designs more quickly." Peter
Keilty, Facility Manager, Xerox
OPTIMIZACION DEL DISEÑO
Akaishi
(Productos de consumo): "We can
verify not just the product geometries, but also their materials in advance.
This is the ultimate verification." Makoto Muraoka, Akaishi
Arctic
Spas (Productos de consumo): "FDM
technology has really changed the way our company approaches the desgin
process” Pete Van't Hoff, CAD Manager, Arctic Spas
Bell
Helicopter (Aeroespacial): “The efficient
process allows us to do more iterations than we could with other processes.
That results in better-designed components.” (Mike Storp, Bell Helicopter)
Ducati
(Automoción): "To keep Ducati at the
forefront of engine design, we sought a technology that could make accurate,
durable prototypes quickly." Piero Giusti, Ducati
Ecoinvent
(Productos comerciales): “With FDM we
can make quick, durable and inexpensive prototype parts in-house, which gives
our engineers the freedom to test new designs uninhibited by technological
restrictions.” Oleg Muzylev, Head of Engineering, Ecoinvent
Embry-Riddle
(Centro tecnológico): “Every piece we
create needs to maintain the tightest tolerances in order to fit and function
properly. ABS material is ideal.” Chris Smith, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical
University
Evektor
(Aeroespacial): “With Fortus,
we can now develop and test innovative designs - and if necessary change them
quickly without halting the production process. This means we no longer need to
make ‘functional’ compromises.” (Igor Mega, Evektor)
GROHE
(Productos comerciales): "Samples
could be made available quickly, while the reliability of the design and
construction quickly increased." Friedrich Imhoff, Grohe Product
Development Manager
GTRE
(Aeroespacial): "With FDM
we created an engineering prototype that perfectly reflected our design intent
and facilitated the complex engine development." (Dr. U.
Chandrasekhar, GTRE)
Henk
(Productos de consumo): “It would have
been impossible to design a machine of this complexity and originality without
the capability to quickly build prototypes.” Henk van der Meijden, Henk
Hanil-E-Hwa (Automoción):
"FDM has
advantages that include part strength and ease of modification. These are
important traits when assembling prototypes for confirmation of quality and
suitability of design." Choi Hae Seok, Hanil E-Hwa
Hyundai
(Automoción):
"Dimensional accuracy and
dimensional stability were critical for design verification. FDM gave us
both." Tae Sun Byun, Hyundai Mobis
Joe
Gibbs Racing (Automoción): "We wanted
to model with the strong thermoplastics available for FDM – Polycarbonate and
Polyphenylsulfone.” (Mark Bringle, Joe Gibbs Racing)
Klock
Werks (Automoción):
"The parts
met all our requirements for accuracy and strength" (Todd Snedeker,
Klock Werks Kustom Cycles)
Leptron
(Aeroespacial): “It would not
have been possible for a company of our size to design and build this product
using conventional manufacturing methods.” (John Oakley, Leptron)
Logitech
(Productos de consumo): “Had we
relied on formulas and CAD models rather than functional models, we might never
have found the optimal design.” Dominic Amae, Logitech
Minimizer
(Automoción): "As trucks change, we need
to change. People are always coming to us
for new products." (Craig Kruckeberg, Minimizer CEO)
NASA
(Aeroespacial): “You always
want it to be as light as possible, but you also want it to be strong enough.”
(Chris Chapman, NASA test engineer)
New
England Institute of Technology (Centro tecnológico): "FDM technology helps us for product
design and brings a new level of enthusiasm to the design process."
Bruce Feodoroff, Chairman.
Parker
Hannifin Racor (Automoción): "Vibration
affects filter efficiency, so it was important to mount the prototype directly
on the engine for accurate testing." Russ Jensen, Parker
Hannifin-Racor
Kor (Automoción): "FDM
technology made it easy and efficient to make design changes along the
way." Jim Kor, President and Senior Designer, KOR Ecologic
University
of Advancing Technology (Centro tecnológico): “The
FDM system is a perfect tie-in for what we do because it makes our projects
much more physical and tangible.” Mark Hartlieb, University of Advancing
Technology (UAT)
University
of Virginia (Centro tecnológico): “We
couldn’t have accomplished that level of realism without the FDM system.”
Dwight Dart, design lab engineer, University of Virginia
Woods
Hole Oceanographic Institution (Centro tecnológico): "The Fortus FDM system produces parts with the strength and
accuracy to survive and provide data while as deep as a mile beneath the
Atlantic Ocean." Bob McCabe, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
Xerox
(Thermoforming): “So far we
have not found anything we cannot do with FDM.”
Duane Byerley, Xerox
Según Matthew
Larsen, responsable de ingeniería mecánica, el departamento de compras dio
su visto bueno a la adquisición de la Fortus
cuando Matthew les presentó un plan de amortización basado únicamente en los
ahorros derivados de un uso para I+D+i, con énfasis en los costes de
prototipado. “
Esta aplicación fue un
verdadero descubrimiento para él, pues la mayoría de los dispositivos
fabricados por Digi requerían el barnizado selectivo a fin de proteger ciertos
componentes clave. Para llevar a cabo la mencionada tarea, se encargaba a un
taller mecánico la fabricación de unas plantillas de aluminio a medida, sobre
las que los operarios de Digi aplicaban cinta adhesiva sobre ciertas zonas, al
objeto de proteger los componentes que no requerían ser barnizados. Esa tarea
resultaba cuando menos un hándicap, ya que aparte de ser tediosa, encarecía considerablemente el coste de mano de obra restando competitividad al producto final.
Frente a ese
problema, decidieron emplear a fondo la Fortus y a tal efecto diseñaron unas plantillas
a medida, provistas de máscaras y ventanas “ad-hoc”. Tras unas primeras pruebas e iteraciones
comprobaron que habían dado con la solución ideal, y tras el primer año de
producción y uso de las nuevas fijaciones hicieron cuentas y sacaron dos
interesantes conclusiones:
