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Real-world ROI: Top success stories with 3D printing
Adam Kohut
Applications
Do you find it challenging to understand the potential 3D printing holds for your organization? It can be easier to understand its benefits by studying real-world cases. The following companies have incorporated additive manufacturing technology into their day-to-day operations to great success, maximizing their return on investment (ROI).
Volkswagen Autoeuropa
Volkswagen Autoeuropa uses Ultimaker 3D printers to create tools, jigs, and fixtures for use on its assembly line. By creating these parts in-house, the vehicle manufacturer saved €475,000 in its first two years of 3D printing. Specific parts are also created at a fraction of the previous time and cost.
A liftgate badge – which ensures correct positioning of a car’s emblem – costs €10 per part, with a four-day turnaround time, compared to €400 per part with a 35-day turnaround time when using an external supplier.
ERIKS, which offers technical components and related services to all sections of industry, uses 3D printing at its headquarters in Alkmaar, the Netherlands for a multitude of purposes. Most relevant to ROI, however, are tools used to increase productivity and safety – such as a fixture that allows for quick, accurate welding of pipes. These tools have so far enabled ERIKS to save approximately €350,000.
Snow Business uses Ultimaker 3D printers for prototyping, functional testing, and creating final parts for its snow machines that are used in the TV and film industry.
Nozzles for these snow machines, for example, can be 3D printed, negating the need for an SLS service, which can take up to seven days and carries a minimum £125 order. Snow Business creates the same nozzles in-house in seven hours – for £2.50 each. The company's 3D printer paid for itself within just two weeks, Snow Business estimates.
Snow Business creates nozzles for its snow machines in-house, saving time and money
ZEISS
Carl Zeiss Optical Components (ZEISS) currently 3D prints a unique adapter plate for each of its industrial microscopes in serial production. The company also uses Ultimaker 3D printers to create jigs and fixtures for use in its assembly line.
Using 3D printing not only saves a great deal of time, but is also extraordinarily beneficial from a cost savings and ROI perspective – what once was a €300 process now costs approximately €20 per 3D printed part.
Sylatech is an investment casting firm that uses 3D printing to speed up its rapid prototyping process. Before incorporating 3D printing, engineers were unable to test design functionality without using tooling investment casting. This process is time-consuming – typically taking three to four weeks – and costly, with customers paying £2,000-4,000 per tool.
On top of this, approximately 30% of tools require some sort of alteration, which can cost up to £900. With the help of 3D printing, however, Sylatech reduces both time and cost – with only 5% of tools needing alteration.
A yacht propellor and its prototype produced by Sylatech
A yacht propellor, for instance, would typically take four weeks of development time, at a total cost of £17,100. When using Ultimaker 3D printers, that time is reduced to five days, at a total cost of £15,660 (this includes casting tooling costs). For Sylatech, the payback period for an Ultimaker 3D printer was less than three months.
Want to learn more about the savings you can achieve with 3D printing? Check out our ROI calculator, a tool you can use to determine exactly how much money you stand to save by using additive manufacturing technology. Or download our white paper for a deep dive into the topic.
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Welcome to Ultimaker Cura 3.0
With a fresh new interface, Ultimaker Cura 3.0 offers the easiest and most accessible 3D print preparation experience for users, whether they are novices or professionals.
News
Beginner’s guide to 3D printing with PP
Despite being one of the most used plastics in the world, PP or polypropylene can be hard to use for 3D printing. With Ultimaker’s optimized PP filament and these helpful tips, you’ll be ready to start exploring the possibilities of this material.
Applications
Library stories: A librarian's journey of going from zero to maker
In this article, Jessica Lamarre, a librarian and makerspace coordinator, reflects on her experiences about how a 3D printer in a local community can be a powerful educational tool.
Applications
3D hatching: Grayscale printing on the Ultimaker 3
In collaboration with the Delft University of Technology, one of our engineers has developed a technique to achieve grayscale printing using an Ultimaker 3. This enables users to print an object with varying tones using two colors.
Applications
Library stories: A lot more is happening in the library than just borrowing books
In over two years of our 3D printing program at the Marin City Library, we've had great success. Our intention was to bring new technologies to a community that lacks access to resources that others take for granted.
Applications
Are you ready to build a 3D printed T. rex with your class?
If there’s one topic guaranteed to excite students, it’s dinosaurs. In tandem with Ultimaker, Naturalis Biodiversity Center has created an exhilarating, interactive lesson plan, showing you how to build a T. rex skeleton in the classroom.
Applications
Company update: Ultimaker files first patents
If it’s happening in Ultimaker’s world, you can find out about it here. 3D printing stories about inspiring moments, original 3D printed projects and much much more.
News
Understanding firmware
What is firmware? What does it do? In this article, we'll clear things up and explain how firmware operates inside your Ultimaker printer and how to update it. Let's get started.
Applications
Start your 3D printing lab in school
If it’s happening in Ultimaker’s world, you can find out about it here. 3D printing stories about inspiring moments, original 3D printed projects and much much more.
Applications
Ultimaker 2+ and Ultimaker 2 Extended+ source files available
The Ultimaker brand is deeply rooted in our open source community. By sharing knowledge we will all ultimately have better products. The source files of the Ultimaker 2+ and Ultimaker 2 Extended+ are now available on GitHub.
News
Inside Ultimaker: Meet Jeffrey Wijkhuisen
If it’s happening in Ultimaker’s world, you can find out about it here. 3D printing stories about inspiring moments, original 3D printed projects and much much more.
News
Inside Ultimaker: Meet Jasper van Damme
Our Inside Ultimaker series is designed to provide a deeper look at our talent here at Ultimaker across a variety of different roles, teams, and experience levels. Today, the spotlight is on Jasper Van Damme.
News
Inside Ultimaker: Meet Anouschka Wodrada
Ultimaker has a great team of people – who work together to make our company what it is: exciting, dynamic and forward-thinking. Our Inside Ultimaker series provides insight into our talented crew – across a range of different roles and skill-sets.
News
Inside Ultimaker: Meet Marcel Buter
If it’s happening in Ultimaker’s world, you can find out about it here. 3D printing stories about inspiring moments, original 3D printed projects and much much more.
News
Inside Ultimaker: Meet Jacqueline Vulto
Our Inside Ultimaker series offers the chance to hear from our team members and find out what it’s like to work with us. If you phone Ultimaker HQ, you’re likely to be greeted by a friendly voice. That’s Jacqueline Vulto, our amazing receptionist.
News
Inside Ultimaker: Meet Lenneke de Penning
Our series, Inside Ultimaker, is designed to give you some insight into the people who work with us. Meet Lenneke de Penning, our assembly team leader, who leads our group of talented assembly operators; and ensures that our production line runs smoothly
News
Inside Ultimaker: Meet Layla Smid
Every company needs a great team behind it – which is why we feel very fortunate to have so many talented, passionate people working with us. Our Inside Ultimaker series gives you the chance to meet our team and discover what it’s like to work here.
News
Ultimaker wins print competition with SLA torture test
We're proud to announce that the Ultimaker 2 Go and Ultimaker 2+ won the first and second prize in the competition, proving that they're up to printing complex models originally designed for SLA printers.
News
Ultimaker Original upgrades
We owe a lot to our trusty Ultimaker Original. It’s where our journey into 3D printing began and we’ll continue to support it well into the future, just as we know our wonderful community will.
News
An introduction to the 3MF file format
If it’s happening in Ultimaker’s world, you can find out about it here. 3D printing stories about inspiring moments, original 3D printed projects and much much more.
Trends
3D printed Vertical Axis Wind Turbine (VAWT) model
When we introduced the Ultimaker 2+ printers we asked popular modeler Jacky Wan, also known in the community as Valcrow, to create a model that would show off the new features of the Ultimaker 2+ line. He immediately came up with this beautiful model.
Applications
Designing, 3D printing and painting the Fallout 4 Mini Nuke
Do you love Fallout 4? In this detailed walkthrough, you will find out how to make your own Fallout 4 Mini Nuke. It covers everything from designing the 3D models to post processing.
Applications
Ultimaker Schooling - 3D printing
When preparing a print, choosing the right 3D printing profile makes a really big difference. To help give you the lowdown on 3D printing best practices we’ve combined the knowledge of our experts with our online knowledge base.
Applications
Releasing our source files: the Ultimaker 2 Go and Extended are now available
If it’s happening in Ultimaker’s world, you can find out about it here. 3D printing stories about inspiring moments, original 3D printed projects and much much more.
News
Sharing the Ultimaker Original+ files
If it’s happening in Ultimaker’s world, you can find out about it here. 3D printing stories about inspiring moments, original 3D printed projects and much much more.
News
Transform your Ultimaker in a Pen Plotter
If it’s happening in Ultimaker’s world, you can find out about it here. 3D printing stories about inspiring moments, original 3D printed projects and much much more.
Applications
3D Printed Ducati 1199 Superbike
If it’s happening in Ultimaker’s world, you can find out about it here. 3D printing stories about inspiring moments, original 3D printed projects and much much more.
Applications
Painting 3D-printed models
Painting 3D-printed models is a great way of adding detail and production value to your models, often making the difference between a ‘cool print’ and a real piece of art.
Applications
3D-printed lightsaber design philosophy and printing tips
For May the 4th, I designed a 3D printed lightsaber in commemoration of Star Wars day in collaboration with Ultimaker. In this guest blog I will explore some of the design nuances and share some tips.
