Case Study: Thule achieves functional carbon-fiber prototyping and major time & cost savings with Stratasys 3D printing

Thule Embraces Additive Manufacturing with FDM Nylon 12 Carbon Fiber

Thule, a global leader in outdoor and travel solutions with U.S. product development in Seymour, Connecticut, needed stronger, more functional prototypes than the visual models they’d been producing. Their challenge was to print parts with the stiffness and strength of fiber- or glass-reinforced injection-molded parts so engineers could run brutal functional tests and validate designs quickly. To meet this need Thule turned to Stratasys.

Stratasys supplied a Fortus 450mc system and FDM Nylon 12CF material, enabling Thule to print functional prototypes, assembly fixtures and manufacturing aids that withstand rigorous static and drive testing. The switch to Stratasys technology drove printers to run 16–20 hours daily, cut lead times by about two weeks per part, supported 3–4 weekly iterations, and generated more than $45,000 in savings (with in-house material costs ~ $4/cu in vs. $18/cu in outsourced), savings that helped pay for their two Fortus machines.

Thule

Rob Humphries

Prototype Engineer, Product Development