Plastics’ Injection Moulded Products (IMP) business recently invested in a 3-D printer that has been installed at their Innovation & Development Center in Bilzen, Belgium.  Innovation is a key factor to the growth and success of any business and integral part of IMP’s strategy.

As published in Harvard Business Review [March 2013 Issue], 3-D Printing will change the world and can be considered a small evolutionary step for traditional printers. Instead, these printers put down layers of plastic resin to create three dimensional solid objects from a digital file and allow designers to create complex parts of machines or cars. In this case, DS Smith will use it for creating samples of beverage crates for their customers.

Having a 3-D printer in-house drastically reduces the development times of new products; it supports sales efforts and stimulates innovation.

IMP’s 3-D printer runs on FDM (fused deposition modeling) technology which builds parts layer-by-layer from bottom up by heating and extruding thermoplastic filaments. The process is simple and is commonly used for modeling and prototyping, and some production applications. FDM printers are suitable for strong and functional precision parts out of one piece.

IMP’s 3-D printer has a maximum printing size is 400 x 350 x 400 mm and prints in ten different colours. It uses the UV-resistant ASA material and offers an aesthetic look.

 

Source : dssmith.com

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