Case study - Minimizer
Case study
Minimizer: truck fender prototypes tested on the road
Blooming Prairie, Minnesota (USA) · Truck parts · FDM (Fortus, ULTEM 9085 resin in black)
Minimizer designs and makes tough polyethylene fenders for semi-trucks. To enter the super single tire market, it needed all-new fender and bracket designs.
The challenge
New fenders and brackets mean new tooling. That is a big investment. So the design must be right before the tooling is ordered. Functional prototypes have to survive Minimizer’s rugged tests.
The solution
Minimizer uses its onsite Fortus 3D Production System with ULTEM 9085 resin in black. Functional prototypes are ready in hours, or in days for large parts.
Engineers drill into the printed fender, bolt it to a truck with its printed bracket and check alignment and clearance. Then they drive it on dusty gravel roads.
“As trucks change, we need to change. People are always coming to us for new products.”
The results
- Real-world validation before tooling
- Black prototypes that look like production parts (about 90% of Minimizer’s products are black)
- Less risk before manufacturing
Application: Form, fit & function testing
Strong functional prototypes can be drilled, bolted and tested on the real product before you invest in tooling.
Source: Stratasys Application Guide and Stratasys case material. Photo: Stratasys.
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