Case Study: Magna Closures achieves 5× more product development and cuts prototyping time to 2 weeks with Stratasys 3D printing and scanning

3D Printer and Scanner Expedite Prototyping for Auto Supplier

Magna Closures, a Magna International subsidiary and leading automotive supplier, struggled with slow, costly prototyping because new parts must match complex vehicle contours and CAD files were often unavailable. Designers relied on manual measurements and multiple CNC iterations, a process that could take about 12 weeks and cost roughly $30,000 per prototype. To accelerate development, Magna Closures adopted Stratasys FDM 3D printing technology and supplemented it with a portable 3D scanner.

By bringing Stratasys FDM printers in-house and pairing them with an in-house scanner, Magna Closures cut proposal development time from 12 weeks to 2 weeks and reduced per-proposal cost from $30,000 to about $2,000 — a 10-week (83%) time savings and $28,000 (93%) cost reduction. The Stratasys-enabled workflow allowed the company to increase the number of product development proposals by a factor of five without adding staff and improved responsiveness to customer requests.

Magna Closures

Dominic DiBlasio

Prototype Manager for Vehicle Integration