Case Study: Xylem (water technology leader) achieves faster, lower‑cost impeller production with ExOne binder‑jet 3D printing

3D Printing Technology Dramatically Improves Manufacturing of Impellers

Xylem, the global water technology company, sought to simplify and speed up production of cast water pump impellers—specifically the complex sand cores used in casting. With no prior in-house 3D experience, Xylem partnered with ExOne after meeting at GIFA and in late 2017 installed ExOne binder jet 3D printing (S-Max® CHP printer) in its production hall to explore replacing a multi-part core-shooting process.

ExOne configured and trained Xylem to print single-piece impeller cores using CHP binder and FS001 silica sand, enabling up to 480 cores per jobbox and full-box prints in about 24 hours. The switch cut core production from seven days to roughly 48 hours, reduced production costs by about 30% for certain parts, lowered defect and post-processing rates, and eliminated tooling/storage needs—delivering faster, higher-quality, just-in-time core production thanks to ExOne’s solution.

Xylem

Torbjörn Andersson

3D Technician