Case Study: Mishimoto Automotive achieves faster prototyping and 6–8 week time-to-market with MakerBot Replicator Z18

Mishimoto Automotive - Customer Case Study

Mishimoto Automotive, the world’s leading maker of aftermarket performance cooling products, needed to accelerate product development and improve prototyping fidelity—projects once took as long as two years and engineers relied on cardboard, sheet metal and a limited Stratasys Dimension uPrint with a small build plate and costly ABS spools. To speed iteration and reduce materials cost, Mishimoto turned to MakerBot, adopting the MakerBot Replicator Z18.

MakerBot’s Replicator Z18 and lower-cost MakerBot PLA filament let Mishimoto print larger parts in one piece, iterate quickly while engineers work on other tasks, and validate scale and fit before manufacturing. The MakerBot solution shortened development timelines, delivering products to market six to eight weeks sooner, supported roughly 30% of prototypes via 3D printing, and produced a speed-to-market lift worth hundreds of thousands of dollars in additional annual sales.

Mishimoto Automotive

Steve Wiley

Product Engineer