Case Study: Hugard Inc. achieves 94% cost and 96% time savings on CNC part catcher grippers with Markforged

Hugard Inc. - Customer Case Study

Hugard Inc. operates a fleet of CNC lathes that produce micro precision turned parts and needed a custom parts catcher to grab components as they were parted off. The parts’ thin walls, intricate geometry and constant exposure to corrosive cutting fluid made them unsuitable for CNC machining or conventional ABS printing. Hugard turned to Markforged and its high-strength 3D printing materials (Onyx with continuous carbon fiber reinforcement) to address the challenge.

Markforged printed a robust custom claw that securely catches parts during automated parting-off, delivering the chemical resistance and complex geometry required for Hugard’s process. The solution enabled Hugard to dramatically cut lead time and cost—fabrication time fell from 144 hours to 6 hours (a 96% reduction) and cost dropped from $400 to $25.06 (a 94% reduction)—allowing reliable automation and massive savings using Markforged technology.

Hugard Inc.