Case Study: Leading Pump Manufacturer achieves up to 90% impeller prototype cost reduction and weeks-shorter lead times with ExOne

Reduce Impeller Prototype Costs Up to 90% and Decrease Lead Time by Weeks

Leading Pump Manufacturer needed to cut the cost and weeks-long lead time for a new 4-inch impeller prototype used in performance testing. They turned to ExOne, which provided 3D metal printing of the impellers in 420 stainless steel and bronze to avoid pattern-based casting delays and enable direct-from-CAD part production.

ExOne produced single-piece metal impellers that reduced lead time from 6–12 weeks to 3–4 weeks and cut per-part cost from $2,000–$3,500 to $150–$600 (up to 90% savings), yielding thousands of dollars in savings and faster test iterations. ExOne’s approach delivered full-form prototypes quickly, enabling the customer to accelerate development and validation.