Hyde Park Partners (HPP) in Charlotte, North Carolina, is a technology product and solutions provider that began serving the Southeast United States 70 years ago and now provides its products and engineering expertise to individuals and businesses all over the globe.
American Engineering Group (AEG), a subsidiary of HPP, is a company on a mission: Its goal is to provide an affordable, lasting solution to chronic energy problems faced by rural communities in Africa.
With the quality of life at stake for millions of people, there is an urgent need for HPP’s product development team to continuously improve Firefly, the company’s off-the-grid, solar-powered LED lighting system. A central ally in helping the company satisfy that urgency is 3D Systems ProJet® MJP 2500 Plus 3D printer.
3D Systems ProJet MJP 2500 enables better design, faster time to market, reduced costs and the ability to translate customer input into physical reality quickly.
True-to-CAD prototyping
The ProJet MJP 2500 Plus offers true-to-CAD part quality in plastic and elastomeric materials that enable realistic functional testing. The high-resolution delivered by the MultiJet Printing technology provides micro-fine detail for even tiny features, along with sharp edges and corners. As a major bonus, the price was right for HPP.
“I was shocked and surprised by the technology advances of the ProJet MJP 2500 Plus,” says Vann. “The part quality was superior to machines that cost five times as much. I never thought we could get a system that does what this machine does at a price that we could afford.”
A big selling point for Draffin was the ability to print with multiple types of materials.
“We not only do enclosures, we do lights and other parts, so the ability to print in a solid color or a clear material is really important. We can even do a rubber-like material if we want to prototype a casing for the unit or create a gasket.”
Duncan Parnell delivered and installed the ProJet MJP 2500 Plus, then conducted training to bring HPP design engineers up to speed on how to best use the system for the company’s specific applications.
“We were printing parts within hours,” says Draffin. “Duncan Parnell goes beyond sales to become a partner in providing continuous support.”
What are their challenge and how 3D Systems helps them?
Challenge:
Rapidly convert new design ideas into realistic, functional product prototypes to enable continuous innovation and better quality.
Solution:
A 3D Systems ProJet MJP 2500 Plus printer that delivers prototypes quickly in multiple materials with easy print and post-processing management.
Results:
- Speeding prototype production from 10 days to a single day.
- Saving as much as $9,000 per prototype.
- Ability to respond quickly to customer feedback with realistic physical prototypes.
- Enabling functional, attractive product models within a day for trade shows and other major events.
- Making 3D printing and post-processing management easy and efficient.