Peak Production Equipment Ltd. is adopting Stratasys FDM 3D printing to innovate its production line

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Designed for a leading aircraft manufacturer, the Peak Production Test Unit tests the catch used to release the landing bay door of an aircraft. Due to the complex profiling of the internal components, much of these were 3D printed as they could not be manufactured via conventional CNC mills (Photo: Business Wire)

Manufacturing a comprehensive range of test equipment - from simple test boxes used by sub contract manufacturers to stand alone high specification test racks and systems used in the aerospace and defence industries - Peak Production services a number of high-profile clients such as Rolls Royce, Siemens and BAE Systems. With the ability to 3D print manufacturing tools in a fraction of the time using traditional methods, the company has been able to ramp up production to meet ever-decreasing turnaround times requested by customers.

"We purchased our Stratasys Fortus Production 3D Printer 18 months ago and since then it has been running 24/7, including nights, holidays and weekends," explains Richard Bushell, Group Managing Director, Peak Group. "3D printing offers us a new level of flexibility and versatility when it comes to production. We can print complex tools of different sizes and materials on-demand in a fraction of the time compared to traditional CNC tooling.

"3D printing has also enabled us to become more efficient during production," continues Bushell. "Due to the high-volume throughput of the Fortus Production 3D Printer and minimal operator time required, we've been able to produce many parts for our jigs and fixtures, often at 50% of the cost of our traditional process. We've also cut down on a number of manual processes, saving operator and labour hours which can now be redistributed elsewhere in the company - increasing our overall efficiency."

Since purchasing its Fortus Production 3D Printer from Stratasys UK reseller, Laserlines, the technology has played an integral role in Peak Production's manufacturing workflow. According to Bushell, the company is already planning to purchase another Fortus system in the coming year with 3D printed tools providing a great fit for the production requirements of test equipment for aerospace, automotive and rail industries.

The company 3D prints all its jigs and fixtures using Stratasys' Nylon 12 and ABS materials, providing the part strength comparable to CNC machined tools. This has been critical for the production of jigs, such as mechanical and pneumatic push down tools, as they are used directly on the production line to test and assemble complex parts for the aerospace and automotive industries. The large build size of the Fortus Production 3D Printer provides Peak Production flexibility to print individual tools specific to the complexities of the part and adapt them for optimum performance.

"The production of high value tools such as jigs and fixtures using 3D printing is an application widely adopted by manufacturers around the world to great success," comments Andy Middleton, President Stratasys EMEA. "Operating its 3D printer 24/7, Peak Production is the ideal example, demonstrating how 3D printing can be utilised as a high volume production method for tooling applications to rival, and in this case, replace traditional manufacturing methods. The ability to produce high performance 3D printed parts that can match the strength of traditional tools - faster and more cost-effectively than ever before - offers manufacturers a new way to innovate, increase productivity and become more competitive with their manufacturing."

For more than 25 years, Stratasys Ltd. (NASDAQ:SSYS) has been a defining force and dominant player in 3D printing and additive manufacturing - shaping the way things are made. Headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota and Rehovot, Israel, the company empowers customers across a broad range of vertical markets by enabling new paradigms for design and manufacturing. The company's solutions provide customers with unmatched design freedom and manufacturing flexibility - reducing time-to-market and lowering development costs, while improving designs and communications. Stratasys subsidiaries include MakerBot and Solidscape, and the Stratasys ecosystem includes 3D printers for prototyping and production; a wide range of 3D printing materials; parts on-demand via Stratasys Direct Manufacturing; strategic consulting and professional services; and the Thingiverse and GrabCAD communities with over 2 million 3D printable files for free designs.