announced today that A. O. Smith Corporation
(NYSE:AOS), a leading global manufacturer of water heating
equipment, is creating more attractive and energy-efficient
water heaters through its advanced new product development
process, which integrates 3D printing solutions from the
company's full-color professional .
to create prototypes in-house, A. O. Smith is shaving weeks
off product development, saving substantial cost as well as
time. This enables them to iterate more productively and
thoroughly refine designs, according to the R&D team.
"Instead of commissioning aluminum molds or sending out to
busy contractors for plastic models, we can produce our own
high-resolution color prototypes for a fraction of the cost,"
said A. O. Smith CAD Supervisor, Steve Wood, from the
company's Johnson City, TN, manufacturing facility. "When a
trial design isn't perfect, we quickly revise it and print
another 3D model, or we create several different prototypes
at the same time. Our ZPrinter gives us the flexibility to
make real-time changes and react quickly to our customers'
demands."
An aluminum mold, including setup and prototype production,
can be costly, consuming as much as six weeks from the
company's design cycle before the first part is produced.
Worse, if the prototype doesn't work, a significant design
revision can require a new mold and another cycle of waiting.
With its , A. O. Smith can print multiple prototypes
reflecting a wide range of design alternatives in a few hours
at a significant cost reduction.
A. O. Smith expected the ZPrinter to pay for itself quickly,
but is happily finding that the return on the ZPrinter
investment exceeds even its expectations. "Because we're
finding it increasingly valuable as time goes on - and thus
are using it more," stated A. O. Smith CAD Operator, Robert
Anest, "it is sure to pay for itself sooner than we thought."
In addition to printing prototypes, A. O. Smith is printing
molds for the production of plastic molded parts - again
avoiding costly aluminum molds. According to Wood, "To
produce prototypes from our own molds, we're spending less
money and time."
3D printer has not just been a cost savings either. "It's
both a unique and an effective sales tool," said Wood. "Our
customers and partners love them - for one thing, they don't
have to lug around a 200-pound water heater. And we're
getting great feedback from everyone involved."
About 3D Systems Corporation
3D Systems is a leading provider of 3D content-to-print
solutions including 3D printers, print materials and
on-demand custom parts services for professionals and
consumers alike. The company also provides creative content
development, design productivity tools and curation services
and downloads. Its expertly integrated solutions replace,
displace and complement traditional methods and reduce the
time and cost of designing new products by printing real
parts directly from digital input. These solutions are used
to rapidly design, communicate, prototype and produce
functional parts, empowering its customers to create with
confidence.
To experience our entire range of 3D content-to-print
products and services please visit , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
blog.3dsystems.com, or via email at
moreinfo@3Dsystems.com.
distribué par | Ce noodl a été diffusé par 3D Systems Corporation et initialement mise en ligne sur le site http://www.3dsystems.com. La version originale est disponible ici. Ce noodl a été distribué par noodls dans son format d'origine et sans modification sur 2012-01-25 12:01:49 PM et restera accessible depuis ce lien permanent. Cette annonce est protégée par les règles du droit d'auteur et toute autre loi applicable, et son propriétaire est seul responsable de sa véracité et de son originalité. |