Jabil, one of the world's largest manufacturing service providers, uses cost-effective Ultimaker 3D printers to overcome production challenges.
By integrating Ultimaker into their workflow, the team at the Auburn Hills plant was able to reduce production time by 80% and cut tooling costs by 30%.
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Engineers at Jabil's Auburn Hills facility realized early on that if a machining factory took three weeks to produce tooling for a complex part, it would take a total of two months. This significantly hampered their ability to manufacture custom products in a timely manner. To better serve their healthcare and industrial clients, they had to find a way to accelerate production time while reducing costs.
Furthermore, Auburn Hills engineers often needed to produce one-off products and tools, which were unnecessarily expensive when outsourced, and also faced issues with sharing customer design information with external suppliers.
Jabil's additive manufacturing team, dedicated to implementing the latest technologies, recognized that 3D printing was the solution to these challenges; allowing them to achieve higher volumes and longer product lifecycles.
Low-cost, High-quality Solution
When they integrated Ultimaker into their process, Jabil's Auburn Hills team immediately saw the benefits of 3D printing in-house. After a simple setup process, they could print spare parts the same day and notice the quality instantly.
Tim DeRosett, Director of Additive Manufacturing Product Management at Jabil, said: "Ultimaker's 3D printers enable Jabil to produce molds, fixtures, and manufacturing aids in-house."
"We were attracted to Ultimaker's low cost, ease of use, and high-quality output. It allows us to accelerate new product introduction times, delivering better results for our customers."
The decision to use Ultimaker as an affordable and professional way to replace traditional manufacturing methods reduced production time from weeks to just four days.
Now, they can quickly create the parts and tools they need at a fraction of the cost of outsourcing to a machine shop.
Enhanced Production and Design Versatility
With design freedom and flexibility, the plant's engineers can quickly modify and optimize machines to meet greater production demands.
The seamless integration of 3D printing allows their designers to take CAD models of customer products and create tools, preparing in advance and shortening the production process.
Their first successful 3D printing and CAD design project was for a medical technology client to improve the efficiency of mobile imaging systems. With Ultimaker's ability to quickly model and print tools, Jabil engineers found it easier to ensure quality and part performance during product testing.
Within hours, the engineers created a validated working assembly and presented the process to the client, a task that previously took the team months to complete.
As they continue to integrate 3D printing into their workflow, Jabil looks forward to the future development of additive manufacturing. John Kawola, General Manager of Ultimaker North America, also looks forward to seeing how Jabil continues to grow in the 3D printing field.
"As one of the world's leading manufacturers, and with desktop 3D printing moving into prototyping applications, we are excited to have Jabil as a key partner. We are delighted that they benefit from our products and have learned a lot from their usage and applications."
Download Jabil's case study to learn how 3D printing is transforming their Auburn Hills plant.
Original source: https://ultimaker.com/en/blog/52523-jabil-auburn-hills-sees-80-reduction-in-production-time-with-ultimaker