Case Study: Peppermint Energy brings the FORTY2 portable solar generator to market faster and cheaper with Stratasys 3D printing

3D Printing Helps Solar Upstart Deliver Energy Everywhere

Peppermint Energy, a South Dakota startup, set out to build the FORTY2—a portable, plug-and-play solar generator to power lights, laptops and even small refrigerators for consumers and off-grid communities. The challenge was turning CAD concepts into a rugged, compact housing that could handle the power demands of refrigeration and be validated at full scale, so Peppermint partnered with Stratasys for 3D production prototyping using a Fortus 3D Production System and Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) in ABS.

Stratasys produced full-size prototypes that revealed a critical 1/4‑inch design flaw, guided size and functional refinements, and helped secure manufacturing partners and investors. Those Stratasys-enabled iterations saved an estimated quarter of a million dollars in tooling, gave Peppermint the confidence to move to production, and accelerated delivery of the durable FORTY2 for off‑grid and disaster-relief use.

Peppermint Energy

Brian Gramm

Founder and CEO