 Alessi
speeds up model making
and saves 70% of cost
Advancing Italian design with rapid prototyping
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| Highlighting part quality: the many components that go into the coffeemaker |
In the early
1990s, Alessi’s designers switched from a two-dimensional
to a three-dimensional design process using plastic prototypes to obtain
a more realistic view of the complex parts that make up its innovative
designs. As the demand for Alessi’s products continued to grow,
so did the designers’ need for a faster, more reliable way to
create plastic prototypes.
“At the end of 2004, we began to explore the
various options for an in-house rapid prototyping system,” says
Cristiano Colosio, CAD Manager at Alessi. “We evaluated systems
such as Object Eden, Prodigy Plus, Dimension, and Zprinter 310 Plus,
but what impressed us with the 3D Systems
InVision™ SR 3-D Printer was the high quality of the
prototype’s form and the ease of cleaning the parts compared
to the competing systems.”
High quality models for mechanical tests and assembly work
Alessi looked for a system that was cost-effective – both in terms
of the initial investment and on-going maintenance. Alessi also required
a solution that was simple to operate, automatic, non-restrictive, and
compatible with its existing office environment. The InVision printer
also met the company’s stringent quality requirements for models,
surface finish, and, most importantly, producing the minute details that
make the Alessi designs renowned by consumers around the world.
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| Christiano Collosio with his InVision SR: reducing time to market by '5-6 weeks' and saving 70% of modeling costs |
In the first
nine months after the installation of the InVision printer, Alessi
created more than 600 prototypes of all sizes, ranging from small
model teaspoons to large 150mm teapots. To date, the InVision printer
has logged approximately 3,000 hours of operation, or an average of 15-16
hours per day.
“The InVision SR 3-D printer fully met our expectations immediately,” says Mauro Casalino,Models/Prototype Manager at Alessi. “The VisiJet® SR material we use in the printing is very robust, and prototypes have long life spans.”
“The
total time savings, representing about 5-6 weeks per product, allows
us to
speed up all our processes and increase efficiency, not
to mention the financial savings: it now costs us 70 percent less to
make a prototype than it did before we had the InVision SR 3-D printer.”
Mauro Casalino
Models/Prototype Manager Alessi
Re-engineering
the “Cupola”
In early 2005, Alessi decided to completely re-engineer the technical
design of
one of its top products – the Cupola coffeemaker – a favorite of
Alessi
customers for 15 years. The goal was to optimize the product to meet current
demands
in the changing coffeemaker market.
Six
different prototypes were made using the InVision SR 3-D Printer during the
company's
various design phases. Many InVision samples were also used for functional
tests of the Cupola’s five-component
assembly, the heating element and body, the assembly of standard metal
parts inside the collector. The models printed on the InVision 3-D Printer
were also critical to perhaps the most important test of all: pouring.
“It
was very interesting to come to understand the lip that poured the coffee
the best,” Colosio says. “ During the tests, we varied
some parameters, and in few hours we had a new sample that reflected the
latest changes. All that remained was to
make a prototype in metal.”
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| Cupola coffeemaker prototype: ensuring the correct 'lip' is essential |
“The
new “la cupola” model had to be in line with the design
classic on the market for so many years,” Colosio adds. “The
ability to place the prototype side-by-side with the older model and
compare
the different versions made our job a lot easier. Visual control is extremely
important.”
Lowering prototype costs by
70 percent Alessi’s designers and model-makers have made a wide range
of improvements by using the InVision SR 3-D Printer, including higher
productivity and a significant improvement in communications between the
two groups throughout the world.
ALESSI
The Alessi Company, one of Italy’s famous “Factories of Italian
Design” is
renowned for highend home products crafted in mirror-polish stainless steel
and a wide range of other materials. Founded in the 1920s the company employs
about 500 people, who are directly involved in project development, production,
sales and distribution. Alessi is exporting 65% of its turnover
to more than 60 countries and count over 5000 points of sale.
“The
total time savings, representing about 5-6 weeks per product, allows
us to speed up all our processes and increase efficiency, not to mention
the financial savings: it now costs us 70 percent less to make a prototype
than it did before we had the InVision printer in-house,” Casalino
says. “Now, we cannot live without InVision, because of the freedom
it has given
us,” Colosio concludes.
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