Chocolate Factory Overcomes Costly Machinery Downtime by Replacing Metal Parts with Stratasys High-Performance Composite 3D P...
January 09 2018 - 8:00AM
Business Wire
- FDM Nylon 12CF thermoplastic containing
35% chopped carbon-fiber provides level of strength and tolerance
required to replace metal parts
- Replacement time of broken machine
parts reduced from one month to one week when using Stratasys
additive manufacturing compared to traditional handmade metal
replacements
Stratasys (Nasdaq:SSYS), a global leader in applied additive
technology solutions, today announced that Dutch 3D service bureau,
Visual First, is using FDM Nylon 12CF carbon-filled thermoplastic
to replace metal machine parts for its customer, The Chocolate
Factory. The ability to 3D print machinery replacement parts
on-demand has significantly reduced machine downtime, ensuring
production line continuity for the company.
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3D printed replacement machine part,
produced in tough Stratasys FDM Nylon 12CF thermoplastic containing
35% chopped carbon-fiber (Photo: Business Wire)
Based in Rotterdam, Netherlands, The Chocolate Factory runs a
network of packaging machines, with the company’s daily throughput
relying on the smooth operation of a simple, yet crucial,
hook-shaped metal part that lifts wrapped bars onto a conveyer
belt. A problem occurs when the part malfunctions – typically with
such regularity that it necessitates replacement three times a
month. As each replacement part is handmade, delivery can take over
a month.
“It is crucial that the packaging machine is always operational,
especially during hectic periods such as Christmas,” explains Carl
van de Rijzen, Business Owner at Visual First. “With Stratasys
additive manufacturing, we can produce customized replacement parts
on-demand that can perform just as effectively as the metal machine
parts. We can 3D print and deliver production parts to The
Chocolate Factory in under a week, which is vital to ensuring
manufacturing line continuity.”
3D printed, carbon-filled thermoplastic strong enough to
replace metal
Van de Rijzen uses Stratasys’ high-performance FDM Nylon 12CF
composite material, a carbon-filled thermoplastic containing 35%
chopped carbon-fiber. Produced on the Stratasys Fortus 450mc
Production 3D Printer, the 3D printed replacement machine part is
currently being used at the factory. According to van de Rijzen,
the team at The Chocolate Factory are impressed with the high
stiffness-to-weight ratio of the FDM Nylon 12CF, resulting in parts
of extreme rigidity.
“The success of the 3D printed part was instantly clear – the
material is impossible to bend,” says van de Rijzen. “The part
withstood all tests on the machine and multiple runs were completed
without incident. The factory is now enjoying increased production
throughput by replacing the metal machine part with our 3D printed
version.”
Previously, constant human intervention meant that the
functionality of the metal part suffered and the machine was often
damaged. “Now, with the ability to optimize the design of the part
with the Fortus 450mc, this has improved due to the part being much
lighter than its metal counterpart,” continues van de Rijzen. “The
Chocolate Factory is also enjoying significant economic benefits
too, with the team reporting a 60% cost reduction on the part.”
Following the success of the 3D printed replacement part, The
Chocolate Factory is now turning to Visual First to solve other
design challenges – most notably, to develop a prototype casting
mold to test acceptance of its products. Traditionally this is made
from plastic, which is both time consuming and expensive. “With 3D
printed molds created on the Fortus 450mc, the company will be able
to further accelerate its production processes,” says van de
Rijzen.
“We’re witnessing a growing demand for 3D printed production
parts and replacement parts for industrial machinery, especially
for packaging machines,” concludes Nadav Sella, Head of Stratasys’
Emerging Solutions Business Unit. “These machines require a
high-level of customization due to the large variety of products
that are packaged. In many cases, the use of additive manufacturing
can not only save time and cost during the manufacture of such
machinery, it can also make them more efficient by reducing weight,
simplifying the design and increasing functionality.”
About Stratasys
Stratasys (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: www.stratasys.com,
http://blog.stratasys.com and LinkedIn.
Stratasys and Fortus and FDM Nylon 12CF are registered
trademarks and the Stratasys signet is a trademark of Stratasys
Ltd. and/or its subsidiaries or affiliates. All other trademarks
are the property of their respective owners.
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