Stanley Black & Decker Uses Z Corporation Rapid Prototyping Technology

By DE Editors

Stanley Black & Deckeris using 3D printing technology from Z Corporationto help make its tools attractive to consumers.

“They’ll look over the options and say, ‘Hey, I want that one,’” says Reed. “It’s up to our industrial designers to make our tools ones that consumers can’t resist. ZPrinters help us make concept models that let our designers verify that the product they’ve created on the computer will look, feel and handle in a way that consumers will love.”

Z Corporation’s 3D printers are capable of simultaneously printing a prototype in multiple colors.

“Color is very important,” Reed says. “The ZPrinters display fine detail in high resolution and accuracy, including logos, labels and tiny LED control lights. This saves us from having to mask and paint our models, which would be expensive and time-consuming and produce a second-rate model. We can ZPrint a model overnight and have a great-looking, multicolored concept prototype the next morning. The process would take a week or more if we did it the old way, via CNC and hand-painting. Realistically, ZPrinting is our only option for fast, colored models.”

The ZPrinters enable more concept prototypes earlier in the development phase. Later in the confirmation stage, the team may print out a wall-thickness shell model, saving additional money on material.

For more information, visit Z Corporation.

Sources: Press materials received from the company and additional information gleaned from the company's website.