3D Printer offers cost-savings, design precision
Banjo Corporation | Crawfordsville, IN

At Banjo Corporation, the purchase of a Dimension 3D printer from Hagerman & Company, Inc. has meant money saved and less guesswork, through the accurate prototyping technology that only Dimension printing can offer.

Banjo Corporation specializes in injection molding of glass-reinforced polypropylene liquid handling products including pipe fittings, valves, pumps and related components. Applications for their products include agricultural chemicals, pulp & paper, petroleum processing and water treatment operations. The company prides itself on innovative design, skillful engineering and precise manufacturing.

Prior to the purchase of the Dimension printer, Banjo products was spending an estimated $30,000 annually on prototyping. The prohibitive cost of importing prototypes from overseas meant the team was not having prototypes made as often as they wished.

Today, the prototyping process has been reduced from a six-month wait for a prototype part to a 40-hour build with the Dimension printer. The average cost of materials to build a larger prototype component is roughly $100 per part, versus $1,000.

Along with a reduction in cost has come a decrease in the number of redesigns which have to be performed.

“It’s great.” Matt Clevenger, design engineer. “It definitely takes the guesswork out of it (product prototyping).”

Along with in-house testing, prototypes have even been sent to a customer for a low-pressure flow test, to gauge fit and function of the piece.

One additional benefit of having parts created by the Dimension printer on hand is for trade show use, as the prototypes double as marketing materials which a potential customer can handle on-site.

“Customers love it. It gives them something they can touch and feel,” Clevenger said.

 

 

 

This page last edited on Wednesday, September 17, 2008