Case Study: Valeo achieves 98.7% faster HVAC pipe inspection and $10K fixture savings with Stratasys Fortus 900mc 3D-printed solution

Valeo Saves Time and Money with 3D Printed Inspection Fixtures on the Fortus 900mc

Valeo, a global automotive and mobility components leader, faced repeated out-of-spec HVAC heat exchanger pipes that failed to align at their junctions, forcing slow, costly manual inspections. Using Stratasys technology, Valeo designed a go/no-go check fixture printed on a Stratasys Fortus 900mc production system (ASA thermoplastic) to avoid the prohibitive time and expense of inspecting every pipe with a CMM or machining a custom fixture.

Stratasys’ Fortus 900mc enabled fast iteration and the required accuracy, delivering a 98.7% reduction in inspection time per pipe (20 seconds vs. 25 minutes), an 83% lead-time reduction for fixture creation (2 weeks vs. 12), and $10,000 saved versus a machined aluminum fixture. The 3D-printed fixture matched or exceeded CMM effectiveness, drove supplier process improvements that eliminated scrap, resolved customer quality concerns (zero defects), and was replicated across the facility for every pipe inspection.

Valeo