Case Study: Wehl & Partner Iberica helps Idec cut die costs and production time with TraceParts additive manufacturing

When additive manufacturing breeds innovation and drives down costs

Wehl & Partner Iberica worked with Spanish aeronautics OEM Idec, which needed to cut costs and shorten lead times for producing a die used in molding wing leading edges for composite aeronautics parts. The company was under pressure to stay competitive, win new contracts, and reduce the energy and time required by its manufacturing process.

Using TraceParts’ partner Wehl & Partner Iberica and Stratasys FDM F900 additive manufacturing, Idec replaced a machined aluminum or epoxy resin die with a printed ULTEM 1010 resin die. The new die was produced in 56 hours instead of about four weeks, cut die production costs by nearly 70%, and helped reduce energy consumption by eliminating the need to heat a solid aluminum die for more than an hour, while also speeding the molding process to under 10 minutes.

Wehl & Partner Iberica

Javier Garcia

Chief Executive Officer