Industrial

Additive manufacturing has huge potential to significantly reduce tooling costs and to streamline the entire production process.

Whether you are working with complex geometries, small batches or customisation demands – or you simply want to reduce lead time – industrial 3D printing could make a big difference to how your business operates.

We can help produce custom manufacturing aids, such as jigs, fixtures, templates and gauges.

Lead time has long been a huge issue in manufacturing. When it came to jigs, for example, they previously to be outsourced and finished products installed on the floor. This could take almost three weeks to reach delivery.

Switching to 3D plastic printing allows modelling to be done immediately and design changes can be implemented quickly, so delivery times are cut drastically – sometimes to one day.

There are also other benefits to the industrial sector, such as weight reduction by using a super-strong plastic rather than metal, extreme customisation for ultimate ergonomics and consolidation of parts.

Additive manufacturing is also useful for bringing greater functionality to composite tooling and forming tools.

At Ricoh 3D, we worked with our customer to transform their whole production line.

We found that their workflow was complicated with a traditional assembly line set-up, with workers building each component by moving back and forth between multiple benches with the specific parts and tools laid out for the work to progress.

We consolidated multiple benches and jigs by devising a mobile work cart with an integrated parts tray. The worker walks between two rows of shelves containing parts trays arranged in order of assembly, selecting the jig and components from the shelves and advancing to the next stage while assembling the unit.

This innovative approach has led to major improvements across the entire production line.

Why choose Ricoh 3D?

At Ricoh, we take the time to look at the big picture. This approach allows us to recommend how 3D printing can be used right across the production line to produce the significant results you desire for small and large scale 3D printing. Get an instant quote today.