Case Study: EC-Atech achieves faster, cost-effective custom toner cartridge prototyping with Stratasys FDM 3D Printing

EC-Atech quickly customizes toner cartridge prototypes with 3D printing

EC-Atech, a Hong Kong–based OEM of toner cartridges, faced long, costly prototype cycles that required up to five rounds of revisions and relied on metal tooling with lead times of three weeks to four months—often stretching overall prototype development to a year. To speed up and customize durable fixtures while maintaining high precision, EC-Atech engaged Stratasys and adopted its FDM Technology for 3D printing with production-grade thermoplastics.

Using Stratasys FDM Technology, EC-Atech shifted from metal to thermoplastic fixtures, cutting fixture weight from 20 kg to 1 kg, reducing energy use, and improving chemical resistance and stability. Prototyping cycles dropped from as long as a year to about four months (with many parts now produced within weeks), enabling cost-effective runs under 100 units, faster design iterations, and new tooling (e.g., a glue applicator) that improved consistency and reduced human error.