- Move Designed to Maximize Manufacturing Efficiencies and Company Agility, Empowering Each Factory to 3D Print Own Assembly Line Tools, Fixtures, Jigs, Gauges, Robotic Arm Attachments
- Company Expects to Reduce Assembly Line Tooling Fabrication Expenses by 70% and Compress Delivery Time from Months to Days
VENTURA, Calif., July 17, 2018 — Techniplas, a leading global design and manufacturing provider of automotive products and services, today announced that as part of its ongoing digital transformation, it has completed the deployment of Sharebot 3D printers at all of its 14 manufacturing facilities worldwide. This deployment across five continents allows Techniplas to expand its use of 3D printing to produce the majority of its manufacturing tools, jigs, fixtures, gauges and robotic arm attachments that are used daily on its assembly lines. The company expects that reducing its dependency on external suppliers will eliminate a significant portion of its assembly line tooling costs and compress its lead times from months to days. This move will enhance overall profitability, agility, and competitiveness.
“With Sharebot 3D printers installed in all of our manufacturing facilities worldwide, we are taking decisive steps toward fabricating the majority of our manufacturing line assembly tools, jigs, fixtures, gauges and even robotic arm attachments in-house,” said Manfred Kwade, Chief Operating Officer, Techniplas. “Based on our experience with Sharebot printers thus far, we expect to significantly reduce our development time and annual assembly line tooling costs in each manufacturing facility over time.”
Techniplas believes that the key to streamlining its production process is a new breed of additive tools, jigs, fixtures, gauges and robotic arm attachments that are designed and manufactured in-house based on direct and ongoing input from its line operators and assemblers in each of its factories. As Techniplas teammates assemble mission-critical parts and components for leading automotive customers, locally installed Sharebot printers are expected to enable production line teams to perform their tasks faster, and with increased precision and quality.
Prior to the deployment of Sharebot 3D printers in its 14 manufacturing facilities, Techniplas relied solely on third-party providers to manufacture its assembly line tools, resulting in lengthy lead times and higher costs.
Today’s announcement follows Sharebot’s addition to the Techniplas Open Innovation Program in September 2017. Several of Sharebot’s latest large-format industrial 3D printers are already installed at the Techniplas Additive Manufacturing Innovation Center in Ventura, California, where the company is integrating the latest generative, cognitive and additive technologies to accelerate industry 4.0 preparedness. Based on its ongoing development work at Techniplas Digital, the company believes that replacing its conventionally manufactured jigs, fixtures, gauges and robotic arm attachments with additively manufactured aids over time, can reduce its fabrication expenses by as much as 70% and compress its delivery times from weeks to days.
“We are pleased to further deepen our relationship with Techniplas as we increase the application and utility of our latest 3D printing solutions to mission-critical automotive manufacturing applications around the world,” said Sharebot CEO Arturo Donghi. “With this global deployment, Techniplas is demonstrating its commitment to digital manufacturing powered by its open innovation ecosystem, which we are so proud to be part of.”
To view Sharebot 3D printing in action, click here.
With Sharebot’s open 3D printing platform, Techniplas can now easily tailor specific materials — namely high-impact, high-temperature materials — to enhance its capabilities of fabricating customizable manufacturing production tools in-house. The company’s 3D printing solutions transcend the barriers of traditional manufacturing to create products in a faster and more cost-effective manner.
About Techniplas
Techniplas is a leading global automotive design and manufacturing provider of engineered products and services that are helping to shape the future of mobility. Our 2,000 associates around the world are passionate about making the connected world. By continuously expanding our technology-based capabilities, we are positioned to deliver more personalized, performance-enhanced and sustainable products for the benefit of our customers world-wide. For more information, please visit www.techniplas.com
About Sharebot
Sharebot is a global provider of affordable, professional-grade, easy to use 3D printers. Sharebot’s printers are dedicated to industrial applications. Our aim is to provide the perfect tool for optimizing the design to manufacturing workflow, transforming the way people make products. For more information, please visit www.sharebot.it.
Source: Techniplas
