Case Study: Caldwell Manufacturing achieves rapid, low-cost metal prototyping and in-house tooling with Markforged

Integrating additive manufacturing in everything from R&D to internal tools to production parts

Caldwell Manufacturing, a global window and door hardware maker in upstate New York, struggled with long, costly external tooling and metal prototyping limits—internal fixtures could take up to eight weeks and product development cycles stretched 6–12 months because their FDM plastic printer couldn't validate metal part function. To regain control and speed iterations, Caldwell selected Markforged, buying a Metal X system for 17‑4 PH stainless steel (and other metals) and a Mark Two for Onyx and continuous carbon‑fiber tooling.

With Markforged equipment, Caldwell brought prototyping and tooling in‑house, cutting costs and lead times dramatically: parts that previously cost $300–$5,000 now cost about $30 and can be produced in three days rather than up to eight weeks, and tooling cycles that once took 6–12 months now take 6–12 days. Markforged printers are installed in two of four North American plants, support roughly 18 low‑volume end‑use components, and have increased employee engagement while enabling a faster, fail‑fast design and testing process.

Caldwell Manufacturing

Rick deNormand

Product Engineering Manager