Before and After SLA Printing : Comparison
4x Cost Reduction
Lead Times Reduced by 5 Days
Problem
Wohler is an international manufacturer of measuring and inspection technologies. The HF 5500 is a wood moister meter, capable of measuring moisture levels in firewood and other wood products.
In the development of the HF 5500, the team were tasked with the challenge of prototyping (including design and fabrication), moulding and finally bringing the product into the final stages of production. At the beginning of the process, however, the team were using FDM printers which were not able to produce the accurate details required for their measurement equipment. At this point, the team found themselves creating prototypes where casework was not mirroring correctly and the flexible parts of the keyboard were not malleable enough. It was evident that a change of printing technology was required.
Solution
With the introduction of Formlabs Stereolithography printers, the team instantly found that they were able to produce functional prototypes of the product, with two different materials being used for the quarter of the cost of the FDM printed alternatives. Additionally, the team found that their lead time was being greatly reduced also, leading to the prototyping of the HF 5500 becoming faster and more reliable than ever before.
