Matthew Forrester, Anne Debauge, and the L'Oréal additive manufacturing team
L'Oréal – Clichy, France
At Clichy, France-headquartered L’Oréal, Matthew Forrester, Additive Manufacturing Manager, and Anne Debauge, Digital Manager Packaging and Development, have contributed to the rapid deployment of teams using 3D printing technology. The renowned personal care company has in the past three years used additive manufacturing in the rapid prototyping of new packaging and formula designs; the fabrication of 3D printed injection molds in materials that behave like final products; and industrial applications. During that time, L’Oréal has also launched two 3D printed perfume designs onto the market.
A 3D printed perfume bottle prototype, right, and the finished product
“We are always looking to see how we can use new technologies – really pulling the maximum gain from each opportunity that is presented, while also learning about the limits and weak spots that are inevitably present,” Matthew says. “The use of additive manufacturing has allowed us to greatly accelerate the time to market and agility of our projects.”
A 3D printed L’Oréal shampoo bottle
Matthew and the L’Oréal additive manufacturing team are also creating specific materials to give certain mechanical and aesthetic properties, as well as launch two new packaging designs, for which the team used 3D printing technology to directly produce final components. Additionally, L’Oréal was able to leverage the rapid reaction of its worldwide industrial 3D printer network to provide protective COVID PPE for collaborators and front-line services.
The time gap between an idea and a physical model is so short, it changes everything. The ability to create, iterate, then manipulate the part all within several hours still amazes me. The printers we use are a lot safer than tradition subtractive mills and lathes, which means that we can deploy into office-type environments with ease.