Chocolate Factory Overcomes Costly Machinery Downtime by Replacing Metal Parts with Stratasys High-Performance Composite 3D Printing Material

• 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

MINNEAPOLIS & REHOVOT, Israel–(BUSINESS WIRE)–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.

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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