Inkjet & Digital Printing
From Concept to Reality in Record Time
Thursday 13. March 2014 - AMP Research is a tier one supplier to the automotive industry. The Dimension 3D Printer has become a valuable asset to the company's design team, recently playing a key role in developing concepts for the AMP Research Alloy Fuel Door for General Motors' Hummer H2 sport utility vehicle.
AMP Research’s engineers were able to easily and quickly produce physical models of the fuel door out of durable ABS plastic throughout the design process for testing and evaluation.
“One of the biggest challenges in bringing products to market is time,” said Jay Smith, chief operating officer for AMP Research. “In the automotive business, showing working prototypes to customers early in the development process makes all the difference. The Dimension 3D Printer helped our engineers develop the Hummer H2 fuel door in just one week, keeping us ahead of schedule.”
The Dimension Solution
AMP Research leveraged 3D printing for better communication among its design team and with the customer throughout the design process.
“There is no alternate to the communication ability the 3D models Dimension produces can provide,” said Anthony Smith, research and development engineer for AMP Research. “Our customers flipped when they saw the first prototype mounted and working on the Hummer H2. Having the capability to produce 3D models in-house
has greatly improved our entire product development process.”
“Before committing to expensive tooling, we are now able to analyze costs and market demand with greater confidence,” said Helena Leitner, chief financial officer for AMP Research.