Case Study: Balea, a French weight‑control systems manufacturer, achieves rapid, low‑cost in‑house prototyping with Stratasys

Balea Streamlines prototyping process with in-house 3D printing

Balea, a family‑owned French manufacturer of weight control systems for pallets, trolleys and boxes, faced slow, expensive prototyping: subcontracted injection molding took three to six months and cost about €20,000 per prototype, with another €20,000 required for any redesign. To regain control and enable more iterations, Balea selected Stratasys and its F170 3D printer with GrabCAD Print software as a potential in‑house solution.

Stratasys installed the F170 and GrabCAD Print at Balea, enabling on‑site printing in production‑grade ASA thermoplastic for functional, non‑conductive prototypes and end‑use models. The Stratasys solution cut turnaround from months to “within a day,” eliminated the typical €20,000 per‑prototype outsourcing cost, allowed four to five design iterations before a tradeshow, and delivered faster decision‑making, greater design freedom and lower costs across Balea’s development workflow.

Balea

Max Mestre

R&D Offi ce Manager