Case Study: Visual First helps The Chocolate Factory reduce downtime and costs with Proto3000's carbon-fiber 3D printing

Replacing Metal Components with Carbon-Fiber 3D Printed Parts

Visual First helped The Chocolate Factory address bottlenecks caused by a critical hook-shaped metal part used in packaging machines. The part had to be adjusted frequently, could jam if inserted incorrectly, and sometimes damaged the machine, creating downtime and long waits for replacement parts. Visual First needed a faster, cheaper way to produce strong spare parts on demand.

Visual First turned to Proto3000 and Stratasys’ Fortus 450mc 3D printer using high-performance FDM Nylon 12CF carbon-fiber thermoplastic. Proto3000 helped deliver a replacement part with the stiffness and durability required, replacing the metal component and improving production throughput. The solution cut lead times from over a month to under a week and reduced part costs by 60%, while also enabling better part optimization and continued support for other prototyping needs.

Visual First

Carl van de Rijzen

Visual First