Case Study: Sweet Onion Creations achieves fast, eco-friendly, cost-effective architectural model production with 3D Systems' ProJet CJP 360

Sweet Onion Cultivates 'Green' Architectural Model Business With 3D Color Jet Printing

Sweet Onion Creations, founded in 2007 by Jake and Lee Cook in Bozeman, Montana, builds premium scale architectural models for architects and developers. They identified a market problem: architects either paid too much and too much time for handcrafted models or relied on less persuasive screen renderings, so the Cooks needed a cost-effective, fast and sustainable way to deliver physical models that communicate form and space.

They adopted 3D Systems’ ProJet CJP 360 color jet printing, which produces monochrome models faster and cheaper than traditional methods—about one-sixth the time and one-third the cost—while avoiding toxic waste. The result: rapid global growth via web orders with typical one-week turnarounds, industry recognition as a green business, concrete sustainability practices (recycling powder, energy offsets, biodegradable packing), and plans to scale with additional printers.

Sweet Onion Creations

Jake Cook

Co-founder