Case Study: Instrumentation Laboratory achieves 40% manufacturing cost reduction ($7.2M) and 6‑month faster time-to-market with Stratasys FDM

Favorable Diagnosis Move From Virtual Prototyping To Rapid Prototyping Cuts Manufacturing Costs $7.2 Million

Instrumentation Laboratory, a global maker of in vitro diagnostic instruments, faced the challenge of cutting manufacturing costs and speeding time-to-market for its ACL TOP 500 hemostasis system after virtual prototyping left many design issues unresolved. To improve cost-efficiency and manufacturability, they turned to Stratasys and purchased a Fortus 3D Production System using Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) to produce production-grade thermoplastic prototypes in-house.

Using Stratasys FDM prototypes, Instrumentation Laboratory re-engineered more than 25 parts, uncovered interference issues early, consolidated components (including converting a six-part sheet-metal assembly into a two-part injection molded design) and validated a working machine. The result was a 40% reduction in manufacturing cost (versus an estimated 30% with traditional methods), saving $600,000 per year and $7.2 million over the 12-year product life, plus $50,000 in avoided mold rework and a six-month shorter development cycle (from 18 to 12 months).

Instrumentation Laboratory

Scott Notaro

Manager of Mechanical Engineering