Customer Benefits
One of the key benefits of the new printer is the speed at which Centor can now bring design concepts to life. Being able to 3D print in-house means the R&D team can now have 3D parts overnight. Previously, if the team had to outsource a part to be 3D-printed, it could take three days to a week before they would get the part back. Michael Smith said, “Having a fast, responsive 3D printer onsite means faster iterations, which ultimately lets us innovate quicker. This is essential in remaining competitive and meeting our customers’ needs.
“There is a saying “don’t tell me, show me”. Being able to print our idea concepts in 3D for spaces between door jams or door handles for example, takes the ambiguity out of conveying our ideas and avoids any confusion or misinterpretation when we have discussions or meetings about a new design.
“Being able to 3D-print parts and concepts cuts down on meeting times, and it ensures that we get better feedback because stakeholders can touch, feel, and interact with the product. They are not trying to interpret 3D concepts off a 2D screen.” Konica Minolta also provides managed print services, which includes servicing the equipment and troubleshooting any issues.
Michael Smith said, “Having this support from Konica Minolta takes the stress off us. We know that we can leave the printer management to the experts and go back to our core job: designing. Before we had the managed print component our team would spend time trying to solve problems and troubleshoot if something went wrong, which was not an effective use of their time.
“When we first got the 3D printer I was apprehensive about how much we would use it versus the value we would get out of it. We changed our CAD model to make it work smoothly with the 3D printer and now this has become a natural and valuable part of the process. I was surprised at how much the printer was used and how well it integrated with our existing workflow.
In the future Centor would like to be able to use 3D printing for short-run manufacturing. It would mean they could make changes to iterations immediately and would make the manufacturing process quicker, and more economical.
Having this support from Konica Minolta takes the stress off us. We know that we can leave the printer management to the experts and go back to our core job: designing"
- Michael Smith, senior industrial designer, Centor Australia
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