Case Study: Suntory achieves 3-day trial production (down from 1.5 months) with Stratasys PolyJet 3D printing

Japanese beverage manufacturer streamlines bottle design with 3D printed mold

Suntory Group, including Suntory MONOZUKURI Expert Ltd., is a leading Japanese beverage manufacturer that struggled with long lead times and difficulty achieving lightweight, complex bottle designs. Relying on outsourced aluminum molds meant trial evaluations and production ramp‑up could take months (six to nine months to begin production and about one and a half months for trial evaluation), so many concepts were abandoned. To shorten cycles, Suntory evaluated 3D printing and selected Stratasys PolyJet technology and the Objet Eden 260VS 3D printer.

By using Stratasys PolyJet and the Objet Eden 260VS to produce in‑house resin molds, Suntory reduced trial production evaluation time from about one and a half months to as little as three days, enabling many more iterations and dramatically improving design accuracy and team collaboration as package engineers adopted 3D CAD. The faster cycle has driven interest across the Suntory Group (including Beam Suntory and Orangina Schweppes) and prompted plans to expand Stratasys 3D printing for tools, fixtures and production equipment.

Suntory

Tatsuki Kado

Senior General Manager, Packaging Material Department, Supply Chain Management Division