MetroWest495 Biz

MetroWest495 Biz | May 2014 19 "It's paid for itself multiple, multiple times," owner Jo-Ann Auger said. "What we use it for is when a customer wants to see a print of a part before they go to have thousands of dollars invested in a mold," she said. "They want to see that that part is go- ing to be what they really want. They can see it, feel it." Interest in 3D printing has exploded over the past year, due in part to the simple novelty of the technology. You- Tube videos show the printers laying down thin layers of plastic to make a Pokémon toy, or an artificial knee fitted precisely to a particular patient. But for MetroWest manufacturers, the really exciting thing is that these machines can help them deliver products faster, better and cheaper. Peter Russo, project manager at the Massachusetts Manufacturing Exten- sion Partnership, said a version of 3D printing, sometimes known by the less-catchy names stereolithography or additive manufacturing, has actu- ally been around for more than two decades. But he said the hardware and software have made huge strides in re- cent years. The products created with the process — once rigid and prone to yellowing — can now go from super- hard to soft and pliable. And where computer-aided design – or CAD - software was once the province of highly trained engineers, some CAD systems are now simple enough for children to design their own products. For manufacturers, Russo said, new 3D printing tools mean a new way to gain an advantage in a get-it-done- yesterday market. He describes one MassMEP client who was offered a job making a toy for Walmart — but only if the company could get the design- ing, prototyping, tooling, injection molding and package designing done in 13 weeks. That's a process that typi- cally takes three times that long. "One of the ways that was sped up was the next day we had the new design 3D printed," Russo said. "If that had been done the old-fashioned way, either you wouldn't have had one or you would have had to do one out of sculpted or machined material," something that would have taken days and cost thousands of dollars. With 3D printing, it cost a couple of hundred dollars and took just one day. "That was the very start of beating that schedule," he said. Russo said 3D printing makes prototyping both quicker and sim- pler, eliminating the need for labor- intensive traditional methods. For a customer who's weighing getting something made in the U.S. or China, that can tip the scales, he said. "One of the reasons to go to manufacturing in China was (for) the most labor-intensive and skill-based things," he said. "3D printing doesn't cost any more to do in the U.S." At J&J, Auger said 3D printing isn't just for prototypes. One of the company's customers ships optical equipment that comes in all sorts of sizes and shapes. It needs lens caps for one-time use to protect the equipment during shipping. Because the volume for each lens cap model is so small, the cheapest option is to have J&J make them one by one with the 3D printer. J&J also gets orders for small runs of unique consumer goods — an iPhone cover with wheels that really turn, or a mug with fancy features. The process is simple: get a design file, send it to the machine and watch it spit the results out in multicolored plastic. new tech, new capabilities Tegra Medical, a Franklin contract medical device manufacturer, has had a 3D printer for about a year, accord- ing to Bill Sincavage, a senior process development engineer. Sincavage said customers often come to Tegra in the early stages of developing a tiny part for a medical device. The 3D printer produces an enlarged model of the part so developers can determine whether the plans will work out and how the part can ultimately be produced. Sincavage said Tegra also makes 3D-printed fixtures for its own use, custom-designing them to hold tiny, complex metal parts in place during welding. "I can design something pretty quick," he said. "We can use it in hours, as opposed to days." Sincavage said the 3D printer hasn't upended the way Tegra does business, but the company uses it several times a week. In Hudson, the local office of California-based manufacturer Smiths Connectors has been using 3D print- ing for prototypes indirectly for four or five years, sending files to a third-party supplier with one of the devices. "We were spending a lot of money and it was taking longer than we would like it to," said Manufacturing Engineer- ing Manager Mark Boucher. About a year ago — with prices for the printers coming down — the company invested in one of its own. "We can have it within hours, a day at the most," he said. "It can make the difference between getting the job and not getting the job. It really can." The Hudson office was the first Smiths Connectors location in Mas- sachusetts to get a 3D printer. Boucher said it's now making prototypes for other local divisions as well as its own products. "It's really becoming an ingrained part of most companies' product development process," Boucher said. "Whereas before it was a 'nice to have,' now you almost have to have it. We decided we better get it and learn how to use it." Concerns linger Not all MetroWest manufacturers are excited about 3D printing. At Assabet Machining in Boxbor- ough — which makes prototypes and machine components — foreman Matt Dougherty doesn't see enough demand to invest in the technology, at least not yet. The company's customers, in industries from telecommunications to aerospace, are mostly looking for tra- ditional "subtractive" manufacturing — that is, cutting, milling or otherwise removing material rather than building something from scratch. Still, Dough- erty said, over the past month there have been one or two times he's had a prototype job that could have been done more quickly and easily with 3D printing. As the price of the devices continues to fall and the product — particularly the rigidity of the parts that can be printed — improves, he said he'd definitely consider getting one. "I would think this is more or less the future of manufacturing," he said. "It could be a lot more straightforward 3d prinTing s page 24 up, up And AwAy Here are five ways 3D printing is transforming manufacturing, according to McKinsey & Co., a consulting firm. 1. Accelerated product development The line between additive and conventional manufacturing will continue to blur. 2. New strategies and footprints Manufacturing is the industry's fastest-growing segment. 3. Shifting profit sources Products are more easily reparable and can be customized. 4. New capabilities Getting the most out of additive manufacturing, however, involves technical challenges, such as adjusting the properties of novel materials. 5. Disruptive competitors Many benefits of 3D printing could cut the cost of market entry for new players.

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