Case Study: bmi CAD achieves 75x cheaper, 18x faster lathe bar puller production with Markforged

bmi CAD - Customer Case Study

bmi CAD faced expensive, slow options for automating stock feeding on its CNC lathes: conventional bar pullers and full automatic feeders cost thousands to tens of thousands and were not purpose-built for specific stock. To solve this, bmi CAD turned to Markforged to 3D print turret-mounted bar pullers using Onyx and Fiberglass, enabling highly customizable, in-house fixtures that bolt onto the lathe tool holder and use friction to extend heavy metal feedstock.

Markforged’s printed pullers let bmi CAD produce a fleet of stock-specific geometries quickly and cheaply, seamlessly integrating with existing turning operations. The result: procurement lead time fell from one week to eight hours (a 94% reduction), total part cost dropped from $1,000 to $13 (about 99% lower), and the company reports roughly 75x cost savings and 18x faster production using Markforged technology.

bmi CAD