How Zero Tolerance Increased Productivity by 50% Overnight

Happy Monday, folks!

In this newsletter we’ve got another ingenious application that helped Zero Tolerance LLC, a Michigan-based plastic injection mould machine shop, increase their output by 50% in a matter of days.

In this 5 minute read, or 3-and-a-half minute watch if you prefer the video case study, the president and owner of Zero Tolerance LCC Steve Michon demonstrates how their manual process of loading brass inserts into complex moulds was simplified using bespoke 3D printed tools.

“There’s just more and more applications that we find for it daily. And that’s a good question to ask ourselves, what else can we do with it?”

Overcoming Risks and Improving Safety

The efficiency that comes with injection moulding machines also comes with risks. As with most heavy manufacturing machinery downtime can be extremely costly, and operators must take care to avoid injury when dealing with moving parts and extreme temperatures.

The specialised tools Steve designed were printed in 27 hours, much faster than they could have been machined or delivered, and were in use on the factory floor in 2 days. In addition, they made a manual process more consistent and safer for the operatives using them.

“My advice to other machine shops is to try it. You will be amazed how useful additive manufacturing can be. We’re so happy we did.”

The Markforged materials in use have also proved to be tough enough for every application. After a year of continuous use, only the gripping fingers of the tools had to be replaced, and overall cycle times were reduced by 19-20 seconds which increased production by 50%.

Multiple variants have since been printed for different machines, and having seen Steve’s success, other machine shops now order custom tools from Zero Tolerance. Markforged 3D printers don’t just save time and money for Zero Tolerance; they even offer another source of revenue for the business.

Would tools like this be useful to your organisation? Let us know in the comments!

What Next?

If you’d like to know more about Zero Tolerance’s journey, or more about Markforged ’s technology, you can call Mark3D UK Limited - The UK's #1 Markforged Partner on +44 121 661 1151, or you can follow this link to arrange a personal demonstration at your own facility.

With the new year in full swing now, we’re going to be attending events and running roadshows throughout the year all over the UK. Click here to find out where you can speak to an expert and see a 3D printer in person.

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