Altimate Medical Stands Up to the Service Bureaus
Since 1989, Altimate Medical Inc. has manufactured standing frames and mobility aids for people with disabilities, such as spinal cord injuries, muscular dystrophy, multiple sclerosis and cerebral palsy. The company's popular EasyStand product line includes multiple models of pediatric, youth and adult "standers" that are sold in more than 25 countries.
"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.
—Gabe Routh, Product Development Manager, Altimate Medical Inc.
For five years, Altimate's product development team leveraged rapid prototyping services from a service bureau to aid in the product development process. The team would send product designs to the service bureau, and it would take up to three weeks to get the model back. The cost for this service was substantial, especially considering the lengthy turnaround time for the models.
After researching the different 3D printing technologies available, the design team at Altimate Medical purchased a Dimension BST® 3D Printer.
The Dimension Solution
"I don't know any other employee that's willing to work 24 hours a day, seven days a week without complaining,"
said Routh of Altimate's Dimension BST.
said Routh of Altimate's Dimension BST.
After integrating the easy-to-use BST into their design process, the Altimate team realized an immediate return on its investment through its ability to quickly make models in-house at a substantially reduced cost, improving their design process and saving time and money.
"A model that cost $1,000 and took three weeks to get from a service bureau can now be made internally for around $100. It dramatically improves our flexibility in making changes to product designs, which ultimately allows us to produce higher quality products for our customers at a fraction of the price," said Gabe Routh, Product Development Manager for Altimate Medical, Inc.
"A model that cost $1,000 and took three weeks to get from a service bureau can now be made internally for around $100. It dramatically improves our flexibility in making changes to product designs, which ultimately allows us to produce higher quality products for our customers at a fraction of the price," said Gabe Routh, Product Development Manager for Altimate Medical, Inc.
Dimension 3D printing can help to quickly fine tune designs and cut weeks - even months - from development schedules. Now, with the ability to evaluate more design iterations, designers can test form, fit and function right from your desktop.
An essential tool for everyone on the design team
Dimension 3D Printer Powers Freedom of Design at Black & Decker
Black & Decker is a world leading name in DIY products used in and around the home. The company’s Global Design Centre in Spennymoor, County Durham is using the Dimension 3D Printer from Stratasys to dramatically speed up product development time.
“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 DeckerMedical Inc.
Black & Decker is the world’s largest producer of power tools and accessories. The company has seen product development cycles in the UK decrease significantly over the past decade as global competition increases along with consumer demands. New product lines, for example in garden equipment, are expected to be launched yearly. The pressure to constantly launch new ranges means that the company is always looking for faster ways to get products developed and into stores.
Previously Black & Decker used a combination of in-house CNC milling for tooling while outsourcing stereolithography (SLA) and laser sintering (SLS) parts when designing new product ranges. However 18 months ago the company took the decision to purchase a 3D printer which would enable them to produce more prototypes in-house and shorten their development cycles.
Previously Black & Decker used a combination of in-house CNC milling for tooling while outsourcing stereolithography (SLA) and laser sintering (SLS) parts when designing new product ranges. However 18 months ago the company took the decision to purchase a 3D printer which would enable them to produce more prototypes in-house and shorten their development cycles.
Engineers can now make subtle or total design changes until they are completely satisfied, without having to worry about spiraling costs. This means that engineers are able to experiment and have much more freedom with designs. Black & Decker saw the Dimension 3D Printer pay for itself within three months and the company has been impressed with the ease of installation and after sales support. The 3D printer is also simple to maintain. Swaddle notes that his team are able to fix minor technical difficulties themselves, although he admits these have been rare.
Swaddle concludes, “After the hoped-for benefits of speed, accuracy, reliability and durability were realized, it was the intangible benefits that really became noticeable. We always estimated that the 3D printer would enable us to make more parts. However it is the extent to which having the 3D printer in-house helps to remove any ambiguity and clarify our engineers thinking, thus expediting the decision making process that is really the greatest benefit. The Dimension 3D printer is an invaluable communications tool. That is what contributes to us being the best on the market and keeps us at the forefront of innovative design.”
Swaddle concludes, “After the hoped-for benefits of speed, accuracy, reliability and durability were realized, it was the intangible benefits that really became noticeable. We always estimated that the 3D printer would enable us to make more parts. However it is the extent to which having the 3D printer in-house helps to remove any ambiguity and clarify our engineers thinking, thus expediting the decision making process that is really the greatest benefit. The Dimension 3D printer is an invaluable communications tool. That is what contributes to us being the best on the market and keeps us at the forefront of innovative design.”
The company chose the Dimension 3D Printer from Stratasys which prints tough, durable, high-quality ABS models. Having the machine in-house has completely changed product development cycles by making the process shorter and more efficient. Steve Swaddle, manager of technology at Black & Decker UK explains,
The design team at Black & Decker uses the 3D printer for evaluating and improving the form, fit and function of its models and to explore different design iterations such as for battery packs or housing casements.
“Our industry is highly regulated and all new products have to comply with international standards set by organizations such as TUV and Kema”, he adds. “We recently had an inspector onsite reviewing new parts. He wasn’t happy with one particular aspect of a design. Our team was able to completely redesign it and present it to him again while he was still onsite. This would have been impossible previously.”
“Our industry is highly regulated and all new products have to comply with international standards set by organizations such as TUV and Kema”, he adds. “We recently had an inspector onsite reviewing new parts. He wasn’t happy with one particular aspect of a design. Our team was able to completely redesign it and present it to him again while he was still onsite. This would have been impossible previously.”
Another significant benefit is that the design team now makes considerably more parts than they used to. The previous use of a bureau cost money each time a part was sent. Engineers often refrained from making too many parts or doing too many iterations of the same design in order to save money.
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