Currier Plastics’ 3D Printer Provides Total Package Value
Auburn, NY Currier Plastics added an Objet 30 model 3D printer a few years ago as a tool in their design department for part engineering development. During this time, they have printed approximately 425 bottles, jars, canisters, closures, lids, and are still finding new uses for the technology.
The 3D printer uses a technology that is an additive process of making three dimensional objects from a digital file by laying down successive layers of material. The primary advantage of 3D printing or additive fabrication is its ability to create almost any shape or geometric feature in a short amount of time. Using contemporary methods to build a model can take from several hours to several days, depending on the size, complexity and method used. 3D printing can typically produce the same model in as little as a few hours.
“Lately, we’ve had a few occasions where we’ve utilized the 3D Printer for jobs other than product development,” said Gary Kieffer, VP of New Product Development. ” First, our Design and QA teams collaborated to make a Geometric Dimensioning and Tolerancing (GD&T), a holding fixture for a new custom bottle we designed. This fixture will help to simplify part inspection and would normally have cost at least $1,200 to manufacture. Then our automation engineer was working on a modification for a cap closing station. The vendor sent in the base plate and flipper bar models and we printed them overnight and validated the re-design, saving not only cost but also shaved about 2 weeks off the unit tools lead-time. As the days go by and our Currier Plastics team experiments more and more, our 3 D Printer is worth its weight in gold.”
Currier Plastics is driven to provide two elements of outstanding capabilities to our customers; speed or true velocity in everything they do multiplied by superior value that incorporates total quality, operational efficiency and established organizational core values. The use of the 3D printer has supported that philosophy by providing rapid prototyping for every aspect of product realization.
Currier Plastics is located in the heart of central New York and has been custom molding for a variety of industries such as plastic packaging, beauty and cosmetics, amenities, household consumables, electronic connectors and medical measuring devices since 1982.
