Case Study: Oil and Gas Company achieves 15% higher plant throughput and CAD 27,000 in savings with Markforged

Reducing Changeover Time and Increasing Plant Throughput with Markforged Technology

Oil and Gas Company, a Calgary-based integrated energy services manufacturer, needed a pad handling machine to load very heavy glass reinforcement tape pads (115–230 lbs) to cut changeover time and boost plant throughput by about 15%. Custom aluminum and sheet‑metal parts had long (3–6 week) lead times and high costs, so the team turned to Markforged and its Mark Two continuous‑fiber 3D printer to prototype and produce production parts faster.

Using the Markforged Mark Two, the team printed 53 unique parts—many reinforced with Kevlar®, HSHT fiberglass, or carbon fiber—to replace costly machined components, enabling overnight replacements and rapid iteration during testing. Markforged parts saved the company CAD 27,000 on the pad handling machine, roughly half of the printed parts were fiber‑reinforced for strength or stiffness, and the faster development cycle helped keep the project on schedule and move toward the projected 15% plant throughput increase.