Case Study: Birdstone achieves true-to-life Schweppes glass and PET bottle prototypes with 3D Systems’ On Demand Manufacturing

Birdstone Delivers Schweppes Redesign with 3D Systems’ Expert Prototyping Services

Birdstone, a Melbourne packaging agency, was engaged by Schweppes to refresh its sparkling water and soft drink range with a contemporary, cohesive family look. The key challenge was validating designs across two very different materials—glass and PET—so prototypes had to convincingly match the appearance, weight and visual properties of production bottles for stakeholder and consumer evaluation.

Birdstone teamed with 3D Systems On Demand Manufacturing for engineering consultation and rapid prototyping, using SLA concept models and high‑fidelity builds (CNC‑machined polished PMMA for the glass look and SLA with Accura ClearVue for PET). The accurate, research‑ready prototypes enabled stakeholder buy‑in and consumer testing, drove the selection of the final design, and supported a successful market relaunch that repositioned Schweppes as a premium offering and was extended across additional bottle sizes.

Birdstone

Iain Blair

Director