Ricoh Modernizes Manufacturing Facility & Boosts Productivity by Replacing Metal Tools with Stratasys 3D Printed Customized, ...
September 12 2017 - 9:00AM
Business Wire
- Customized and lightweight jigs and
fixtures 3D printed in one day, compared to two weeks for
outsourced metal tools, improving production efficiency for Ricoh
large-format printers
- Operator efficiency and satisfaction
improved significantly, spurring further Ricoh manufacturing
modernization
Stratasys (NASDAQ: SSYS), a global leader in applied additive
technology solutions, today announced that Ricoh Japan is replacing
traditional metal tooling with customized, lightweight 3D printed
jigs and fixtures for its Production Technology Center assembly
line - improving manufacturing efficiency while minimizing manual
tooling errors. The assembly line, located in the northeast branch
of Ricoh Industries in Miyagi prefecture, Japan, is dedicated to
manufacturing large-format printers.
This Smart News Release features multimedia.
View the full release here:
http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170912005448/en/
Assembling an electronic component using
a 3D printed fixture produced in anti-static ABS plastic on the
Stratasys Fortus 900mc Production 3D Printer improves manufacturing
efficiency (Photo: Ricoh)
Watch the video to see how Ricoh transforms its
assembly line for its large-format printers with Stratasys additive
technology
By producing the tools in durable ABS thermoplastic on its
Stratasys Fortus 900mc Production 3D Printer, Ricoh is able to
customize each tool precisely according to the part geometry while
reducing the tool’s weight. This has enabled Ricoh to accelerate
the manufacturing process in which an operator typically handles
more than 200 parts each day.
Ricoh develops and manufactures high quality office equipment
such as copiers, fax machines and projectors. The competitive
nature of the electronics industry led the company to look for new
ways to accelerate product launches while maintaining or lowering
its production costs.
“Because we are producing an enormous number of parts, it takes
a lot of time and effort to identify the right jigs and fixtures
for each one. This manual process has become even lengthier as the
number of components grows, requiring that an operator examine the
shape, orientation and angle of each part before taking out a tool
and placing it back in its original fixture. The operators were
occasionally annoyed with the many different tools, and we were
looking for a way to accelerate tooling to match our manufacturing
schedule,” said Taizo Sakaki, Senior Manager of Business
Development at Ricoh Group. “Now with Stratasys 3D printing, we are
able to customize the tools according to the part and produce them
on demand which is helping us restructure and modernize our
production process.”
Geometric Design Freedom: Optimize the Workbench with 3D
Printed FixturesPrior to 3D printing, Ricoh had to outsource
machine cut tools which could take two weeks or more. Now, Ricoh’s
operators can determine the shape and geometry of a fixture that
corresponds to its associated part through 3D CAD software and 3D
print it in one day. This leaves the workers more time to attend to
other stations. Moreover, new hires can now adapt to the tools and
the workstations in two days when previously a new worker had to
spend at least one week to learn all the tools. The jigs and
fixtures are also much lighter so that workers can use them for a
prolonged period of time without fatigue.
“The Stratasys Fortus 900mc 3D printing solution enables us to
realize designs that are difficult for conventional cutting methods
to replicate, such as hollow interiors, curves or complex shapes.
The material used to 3D print the tools is very strong and
anti-static which is important due to the large number of
electronic components we are assembling, adding to the advantages
of Stratasys 3D printing,” explained Sakaki.
A Catalyst for Innovation with Digital
ManufacturingRicoh’s large-format printer assembly plant has
pioneered the adoption of digital manufacturing, and the company
continues to explore areas where 3D printing can be applied to
expedite workflows, such as molding and low-volume production -
releasing more resources and expanding its scope for its diverse
customer base.
“Ricoh embraces technology and we are delighted to lead the
industry in adopting innovation in our business. Our workbench has
become more flexible and more efficiently organized, and our
operators are all happy about that,” said Masami Hirama, Director
of Production Innovation Center at Ricoh.
“At Stratasys, we are committed to helping our customers
overcome the constraints of traditional workflows and processes
with a complete ecosystem of 3D printing expertise, technologies
and services. Ricoh illustrates perfectly how manufacturing aids 3D
printed with Stratasys additive technology empower manufacturers to
increase their efficiency and flexibility while ultimately becoming
more competitive,” commented Omer Krieger, President of Stratasys
Asia Pacific & Japan. “Customized 3D printed jigs and fixtures
can play an important role in enabling companies to get products to
market faster and are a great example of how Stratasys applies
purposeful innovation to manufacturers’ goals and aspirations.
Whenever you can reduce a process from weeks to days - that is a
solution worth exploring.”
Video: Watch how Ricoh modernizes its assembly line for its
large-format printers with Stratasys additive technology
About StratasysStratasys (NASDAQ: SSYS) is a global leader in
applied additive technology solutions for industries including
Aerospace, Automotive, Healthcare, Consumer Products and Education.
For nearly 30 years, a deep and ongoing focus on customers’
business requirements has fueled purposeful innovations—1,200
granted and pending additive technology patents to date—that create
new value across product lifecycle processes, from design
prototypes to manufacturing tools and final production parts. The
Stratasys 3D printing ecosystem of solutions and expertise—advanced
materials; software with voxel level control; precise, repeatable
and reliable FDM and PolyJet 3D printers; application-based expert
services; on-demand parts and industry-defining partnerships—works
to ensure seamless integration into each customer’s evolving
workflow. Fulfilling the real-world potential of additive,
Stratasys delivers breakthrough industry-specific applications that
accelerate business processes, optimize value chains and drive
business performance improvements for thousands of future-ready
leaders around the world.
Corporate Headquarters: Minneapolis, Minnesota and
Rehovot, Israel
Online at: http://www.stratasys.com,
http://blog.stratasys.com and LinkedIn
Stratasys and Fortus are registered trademarks, and the
Stratasys signet is a trademark of Stratasys Ltd. and or its
subsidiaries or affiliates. All other trademarks belong to their
respective owners.
Attention Editors, if you publish reader-contact information,
please use:
- USA 1-877-489-9449
- Europe/Middle East/Africa
+49-7229-7772-0
- Asia Pacific +852 3944-8888
View source
version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170912005448/en/
Stratasys Media ContactsStratasysArita Mattsoff /
Joe HiemenzStratasysTel. +972 74 745 4000 (IL)Tel. +1 952 906 2726
(US)arita@stratasys.comjoe.hiemenz@stratasys.comorNorth
AmericaCraig LibrettStratasysTel. +1 518 494
3442Craig.Librett@stratasys.comorEuropeJonathan Wake /
Miguel AfonsoIncus MediaTel. +44 1737
215200stratasys@incus-media.comorAsia
Pacific and Greater ChinaStratasys APAlice ChiuTel. +852 3944
8888Media.ap@stratasys.comorJapan and KoreaStratasys
JapanAya YoshizawaTel. +81 90 6473
1812aya.yoshizawa@stratasys.comorMexico, Central America, Caribe
and South AmericaStratasys MexicoYair CanedoTel. +52 55 4169
4181yair.canedo@stratasys.comorBrazilClezia Martins
GomesGPCOMTel. +55 (11) 3129 5158clezia@gpcom.com.br
Stratasys (NASDAQ:SSYS)
Historical Stock Chart
From Aug 2024 to Sep 2024
Stratasys (NASDAQ:SSYS)
Historical Stock Chart
From Sep 2023 to Sep 2024