Case Study: DST Control cuts part costs 66% and shaves 7 weeks off production with Stratasys FDM

Fdm Reduces Part Costs 66% And Shaves 7 Weeks Off Production Time

DST Control, based in Linköping, Sweden, designs embedded electro‑mechanical systems for unmanned vehicles, including the COLIBRI electro‑optical gimbal. Faced with rising CNC machining costs, long supplier lead times, and the need for rapid customization to meet tight time‑to‑market targets, DST Control evaluated and selected Stratasys FDM technology (the Fortus system) to bring critical plastic parts production in‑house.

Using a Stratasys Fortus FDM machine, DST moved about 20 components per COLIBRI to direct digital manufacturing and began producing custom parts on demand (about 50 units/year initially). The switch to Stratasys FDM cut part costs by 66% (from €2,441 to €830), shaved 7 weeks off production time (11 → 4 weeks), improved part performance and insulation, reduced tooling costs and supplier overhead, and accelerated development and delivery of custom products.

DST Control

Jan-Erik Strömberg

Managing Director