Case Study: BioLite achieves impossible deadlines and halves packaging costs with MakerBot

How BioLite Used MakerBot to Meet Impossible Deadlines and Cut Costs Promoting the BaseLantern

Biolite, a Brooklyn-based outdoor-energy startup, needed near-final packaging for its BaseLantern to show at the Outdoor Retailer trade show but had just one week to produce blister packs for 10 units. To avoid the usual 10-day turnaround and expensive outsourcing (about $1,200 per package or ~$12,000 total, more with rush fees), Biolite turned to MakerBot and its 3D printers (including a MakerBot Replicator 5th Gen) to meet the impossible deadline.

Using MakerBot, Biolite 3D-printed PLA molds, post-processed them (sanding, priming, painting) and then vacuum-formed the blister packs at the Brooklyn Navy Yard. The in‑house workflow cost roughly $5,000 versus the ~$12,000 outsourcing estimate—saving about $7,000—delivering parts faster than any shop could, allowing rapid iteration, meeting the trade-show deadline, and cutting marketing costs thanks to MakerBot.

Biolite

Anton Ljunggren

Director of Design