Case Study: Australian Meat Processor Corporation (AMPC) prevents costly downtime and slashes replacement part costs with Markforged X7 3D printing

Transforming the Meat Processing Industry with Additive Manufacturing

The Australian Meat Processor Corporation (AMPC) is the R&D body for Australia’s red meat processing industry. Facing frequent wear-and-tear failures that cause costly downtime, AMPC partnered with Konica Minolta and Markforged to trial additive manufacturing using Markforged X7 printers and Onyx in a three-year program that rotates two X7 units on-site (up to eight weeks) in a “try before you buy” model.

Markforged’s on-site X7 solution, supported by Konica Minolta, let The Casino Food Co‑op quickly print replacement hinges, tannery gears and evaporator fan blades to avoid machine replacement and unplanned stoppages. Two gears were printed and fitted within 18 hours, and fan blades that previously cost up to $10,000 and long lead times can now be produced in days at a fraction of the cost—saving thousands, reducing downtime risk, and keeping production (the facility processes 1,200 head of cattle per day) running.

Australian Meat Processor Corporation (AMPC)

Chris Taylor

CEO