HONG KONG, Aug. 6, 2015 (Antara/PRNewswire) -- Stratasys Asia Pacific, a subsidiary of Stratasys Ltd. (Nasdaq: SSYS), a global leader of 3D printing and additive manufacturing solutions, today announced a customer story illustrating how Honda Access Co. Ltd. ("Honda Access") of Honda, leverages 3D printing technology to gain competitive advantage with car accessories prototyped by Stratasys 3D printing system, thus improving the development efficiencies by synchronizing the development schedule of automotive and car accessories.
Headquartered in Saitama Prefecture, Japan, Honda Access manufactures accessories for Honda's cars, motorcycles and other items globally, designing up to 300 accessories for each Honda car model for local buyers based on the requirements such as driver intention, climate and road surface conditions in different traffic conditions. To maximize customization efficiency, the company opted for a Stratasys Objet® Eden500V™ 3D printer in 2013, with the objective to accelerate the product development cycle, substituting the CNC machines.
"Producing prototype parts by CNC machines entailed excessive effort and cost, full-time operators are required to monitor the production on-site. 3D printing speeds up the prototyping process, it allows us to test and modify the design rapidly and cost-effectively. The development of accessories is accelerated which can synchronize with that of the vehicle itself," commented Hiroshi Takemori, Senior Researcher of Product Planning Department, Design Group, "The 3D printer's ability to create fine details, ease to remove support material and printing accuracy are all critical to product verification. Design quality has improved significantly and the large printer tray size allows us to create large parts, such as wheels up to 14 inches. 3D printing technology has become indispensable for our business."
Honda Access primarily uses the Veroâ„¢ materials, rigid opaque materials and paints the part surface with a clear coating producing a texture that closely resembles the final product.
"Honda Access is a perfect example of how 3D printing is an enabler for businesses looking to gain competitive advantage through streamlining of manufacturing processes," said Hiroaki Katayama, President and CEO of Stratasys Japan. "Cost-effective and speedy customization for the different geo markets is key to success for Honda Access; and 3D printing has proved to be one of the winning contributors. Committed to customer excellence, we are happy that we succeeded in facilitating customers to streamline the manufacturing process while enhancing customer satisfaction."
For more information on this customer case, please download the full story here.
About Honda Access
Since its foundation in 1948, based upon the dream of using technology as a means of serving people and following Honda Philosophy, Honda has continuously challenged to create technologies and make products that bring joy to customers around the world. Dreams are the source of the company's courage and energy to meet every challenge without fear of failure. Driven by The Power of Dreams, Honda continues to create challenging technologies and products to deliver joys and inspiration to our customers around the world.
About Stratasys
Stratasys Ltd. (Nasdaq: SSYS), headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota, is a leading global provider of 3D printing and additive manufacturing solutions. The company's patented FDM® and PolyJet™ 3D Printing technologies produce prototypes and manufactured goods directly from 3D CAD files or other 3D content. Systems include 3D printers for idea development, prototyping and direct digital manufacturing. Stratasys subsidiary includes MakerBot, and the company operates the digital parts manufacturing service, Stratasys Direct Manufacturing. Stratasys has more than 3,000 employees, holds over 800 granted or pending additive manufacturing patents globally, and has received more than 30 awards for its technology and leadership. Online at: http://www.stratasys.com or http://blog.stratasys.com.
Stratasys Media Contacts
Stratasys Asia Pacific
Janice Lai
+852-3944-8888
media.ap@stratasys.com
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