Product category:
Fast prototyping equipment, pattern-making and services
News Release from: Unimatic Engineers | Subject: PolyJet rapid prototyping machine
Edited by the Manufacturingtalk Editorial
Team on 28 September 2006
Rapid prototyping cuts development by
two-thirds
A training shoe manufacturer has slashed its product development time to 30 days from 90, by adopting the most advanced rapid prototyping systems and applying them on a global scale.
Training shoe 'giant' Adidas has slashed its product development time to 30 days from 90, by adopting the most advanced rapid prototyping systems and applying them on a global scale Trends in sports footwear move faster than possible any other market, so Adidas-Solomon has given priority to any technology that can speed up its marketing, commercial and manufacturing processes
This article was originally published on Manufacturingtalk on 24 Apr 2002 at 8.00am (UK)
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The final piece of this jigsaw was the adoption of Object Geometries PolyJet rapid prototyping technology, which is available in the UK through Unimatic Engineers, whose managing director Martin Stevens said: "Rapid prototyping is becoming critical for more and more industries, but few organisations use it more demandingly Adidas".
"It initially used PolyJet only in the two headquarters, but has now rolled it out across its whole development production infrastructure." In fact Adidas has always pioneered the latest developments in rapid prototyping (RP) since the concept first emerged in the 1990s.
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Its vice president of Creation Technologies Gary Pitman explained: "We have been using RP for design verification, but the precision quality of PolyJet models has allowed us to reduced time to market and saved considerable costs because we can use them as the masters when vacuum casting parts for production tooling.
At a stroke we have cut several step out of our core design-manufacturing process." The PolyJet machine adopted by Adidas has a print head consisting of over 1500 nozzles which builds the model-master in a series of micron-thick layers of a special photopolymer resin.
The resin has been developed by Objet specifically for use with the PolyJet and cures instantly upon exposure to ultraviolet light.
This produces a highly accurate smooth finish, and effectively the model-master in one single operation.
"With PolyJet in every facility, its almost like we can fax the latest soles around the world," said Pitman.
"Every designer, engineer and manager can pick them up feel them, turn them over, squint, grunt and give their definitive opinion immediately." With this capability in place Adidas is now looking to apply RP to its accessories and equipment division that makes balls, shin guards, gloves, goggles and all the other paraphernalia of the modern sportsman. Request a free brochure from Unimatic Engineers ...
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