Case Study: YKK Europe Ltd achieves rapid prototyping and cuts development time with Stratasys PolyJet 3D printing

Zipper Manufacturer YKK Cuts Product Development Time with PolyJet 3D Printing

YKK Europe Ltd., a global leader in zippers and fasteners, needed to drastically shorten R&D and prototyping lead times because sacrificial die block inserts for injection molds previously required CNC machining that took a week or more. To speed iterations and support diverse materials and colors, YKK adopted Stratasys PolyJet 3D printing, using the Connex3 system in its U.K. R&D center.

With the Stratasys Connex3, YKK now prints die block inserts in as little as 60–120 minutes (down from a week-plus), producing transparent, stiff parts that survive up to five injection shots for form, fit and function testing. The Stratasys solution also enabled rapid prototyping of zipper teeth, sliders and exhibition demonstrators, reduced machining costs, replaced metal components on in-house machines, and materially accelerated product development across YKK’s EMEA operations.

YKK Europe Ltd

Mark Davies

YKK Europe Ltd.