Case Study: Continental Tire achieves 10× faster, lower-cost tire prototyping with 3D Systems' Projet CJP 3D printing solution

Continental Tire Cruises Through Tire Design With ProJet CJP 3D Printing Solution

Continental Tire Americas, part of the global Continental group, designs tires for vehicles, bikes and more and relies on detailed prototypes to evaluate both engineering and aesthetics. Designers using proprietary TireWizard software needed dozens of physical tread samples quickly to review concepts, but their Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) printer took 30–50 hours per part and required frequent maintenance, slowing development and limiting design iteration.

Continental replaced the FDM unit with the Projet CJP full‑color 3D printer, cutting print time for a 10×5‑inch tread sample to about five hours, reducing material cost per sample from roughly $200 to $100, and dramatically lowering maintenance needs. The faster, cheaper workflow lets designers produce multiple samples at once, support remote teams, accelerate design cycles, improve sales demos with convincing prototypes, and ultimately increase productivity and revenue.

Continental Tire

Matt Lamb

Tire Designer