Mainebiz

V O L . X X X I N O. X X I V O C T O B E R 2 0 , 2 0 2 5 16 M A N U FA C T U R I N G / I N T E R N AT I O N A L T R A D E F O C U S "It enables you to 'fail quickly,' and make adjustments at a minimal cost," he explains. "With castings, there is a large front-end capital investment for tooling to support it." He also notes that additive manu- facturing carries no upfront tooling costs and, with the right design tools, has the potential to open up new product design opportunities. Where tradition meets innovation A niche player in Maine's $3 bil- lion-plus outdoor recreation indus- try, Brant & Cochran is a South Portland-based maker of artisanal axes working with UMaine to print handles, heads and metal drifts used to make the hole or eye for the handle. "We used to make the drifts by hand, but if you ground them a little bit too small, you just threw away $500 on the metal," says Mark Ferguson, the company's president and co- founder. With 3D printing, "we can approve the size" and then share that design with a machine shop to make a drift "we know is going to work right out of the box," he says. Offering a wider industry per- spective, Maine Outdoor Brands Executive Director Jenny Kordick says that 3D printing is quickly gain- ing traction in that sector, particu- larly for prototyping and accelerating product innovation. While not all businesses are working with academic institutions, Kordick says it's exciting to see some "leveraging cutting-edge resources from institutions like the University of Maine and the Roux Institute to push the boundaries of design and bring new ideas to market faster." Marine maintenance in Machias Up the coast in rural Washington County, Ben Bunker is a 15-year marine industry veteran employed as a sales manager at Whitney's Tri-Town Marine in Machias. Every year from early September through the end of December, he helps colleagues drain fuel from boats before the vessels get shrink- wrapped and stored for the winter. Done the traditional way by press- ing a screwdriver or nail into the fuel line isn't the safest or most hygienic job, given that the task causes gas to spray everywhere. "It's not good to get on your skin, it's dangerous and it's a fire hazard — but that's the way it's been done forever," Bunker says. "Day after day I would come home and my wife would say, 'You reek of gas.'" After a search for a tool to do the job better turned up empty, Bunker joined forces with an engineer to cre- ate a solution using a 3D printer that cost around $800. ey spent the next two years working on designs and testing a dozen prototypes. "I did the drawings, and he created a program to be able to print," Bunker recalls. "I would bring them to work first thing in the morning and test all the fittings, and then write a report on what works and what doesn't. By the next morning I'd have Version 2. We did that for weeks, and finally came up with the winner." rough a company he founded with his wife called J & B Designs LLC, Bunker launched two products to drain marine fuel during winterization or emergency maintenance. Branded as Safely Drain and made with a hard plastic that's ethanol and gasoline resistant, one is a hand-held device that drains fuel into catch basin to allow for easy handling and controlled flow, while the other gets attached to a Mason jar or other receptacle. Both are crafted to fit most marine fuel fittings to make end-of-season or emergency mainte- nance quick, easy and clean. Booming business Now using six printers imported from China, Bunker has produced around 10,000 devices since June that he's selling wholesale, online and on the TikTok Shop. This technology is helping fuel the creativity and growth we're seeing across our outdoor industry. — Jenny Kordick Maine Outdoor Brands SERVING MAINE & NEW HAMPSHIRE ACROSS 34 LOCATIONS WWW.HAMMONDLUMBER.COM/CAREERS QUALITY MANUFACTURERS OF EASTERN WHITE PINE & HEMLOCK SINCE 1953 QUALITY MANUFACTURERS OF EASTERN WHITE PINE & HEMLOCK SINCE 1953 BELGRADE » C O N T I N U E D F RO M P R E V I O U S PA G E

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