Case Study: Melron Corporation achieves 50% faster lead times and 60% cost savings on matchplate production with Stratasys FDM

Switch to FDM Helps Melron Cut Matchplate Production Time and Cost in Half

Melron Corporation, a Wisconsin-based foundry specializing in casement hardware, faced long lead times and high costs producing aluminum matchplates via CNC subcontracting (about $5,000 and three weeks per part). Repeated design changes and the need to compete in low‑volume, high‑margin markets pushed Melron to explore alternative production methods, leading them to Stratasys and Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) as a potential solution.

Melron adopted Stratasys FDM—buying a Stratasys 3D printer and producing matchplates that combine pre‑fabricated aluminum blanks with FDM inserts—and used interchangeable FDM gate/runner systems to cut hand work by roughly six hours per matchplate. The Stratasys solution reduced matchplate cost to about $2,000 (≈60% savings) and shortened lead time to 1.5 weeks (50% faster); Melron has run over 1,000 molds on a high‑volume FDM matchplate with no issues.

Melron Corporation

Dan Schaupp

Engineer