Cost effective and fast solution to component failure problem
Leveraging the advanced capabilities of the LC Magna, we designed, printed, fitted, released, and produced 791 components in approximately two weeks. Traditionally, this process would
have taken months, and we would not have considered designing this component due to the time and cost constraints associated with plastic injection molding.
Challenge
The project faced several challenges, including field failures in the Wur-Com system where the 40-pin header was getting damaged during installation, leading to short circuits. The main challenge was component sourcing, with time to market being a secondary concern.
Solution
To solve this problem, we researched existing solutions but found none available on the market. Leveraging the advanced capabilities of the LC Magna, we designed, printed, fitted, released, and produced 791 components in approximately two weeks. Traditionally, this process would have taken months, and we would not have considered designing this component due to the time and cost constraints associated with plastic injection molding.
Not only can we quickly modify our current products by adding additive components, but we can also swiftly adapt these components to meet unforeseen needs or switch materials for better application performance. The time savings in this change process far surpasses that of altering machined, cast, or molded components.
“Using LC Magna and Magna Hard Black resin, Wurtec were able to design, print, fit, release and produce nearly 800 components in 2 weeks, instead of months, with annual cost savings of over $43k!”
Advantages
Incomparable time to market – The time to market is incomparable between additive manufacturing and traditional methods like injection molding or machining. We can go from inception to impact in approximately two weeks, compared to around 20 weeks or more for an injection-molded component.
Very low cost – With our additive components, there are no tooling costs, and we have multiple outsourcing options if needed. In contrast, a similar molded component would require either relocating the tool or creating a new one with a new supplier, further impacting production.
Environmental impact – We now have the option to reduce our impact on the environment with plant based materials, especially for components that are not customer interfacing that require a specific color.