Case Study: Idaho Steel achieves superior-quality parts and cuts production time from 25 to 4 days with 3D Systems

Idaho Steel Embraces 3D Printing to Deliver Superior-Quality Parts Faster

Idaho Steel, a century-old machine fabricator that makes and services potato-processing equipment worldwide, faced long lead times and quality limits when producing customized, one-off parts like forming pistons and sensor housings. Complex assemblies required multiple machined pieces, dozens of fasteners and up to 25 days of CNC work, and outsourced components sometimes failed to meet the company’s sanitation and durability standards.

To solve this, Idaho Steel installed a 3D Systems ProX 500 SLS printer using durable DuraForm ProX nylon to produce single-piece, production-quality parts. The change cut production for a set of 16 forming pistons from about 25 days (250 hours) to roughly 90 hours (about 4 days), reduced manual labor to 3–4 hours, freed CNC capacity, eliminated fasteners and contamination risks, and delivered stronger, more customizable components with improved usability and reliability.

Idaho Steel

Alan Bradshaw

Chief Executive Officer