IPF Success Story - 3D Printing Systems & Rapid Prototyping

Industrial Plastic Fabrications (IPF)

We've experienced a phenomenal growth
in our RP business thanks to Objet

Gary Miller,
Head of RP at IPF

From Zero to 360 Customers with Objet

Industrial Plastic Fabrications (IPF) of Essex, United Kingdom launched itself in the Rapid Prototyping world with the purchase of a second-hand Quadra Tempo Objet 3-D printer in November 2003.

The opportunity of acquiring the used machine was the only foreseeable approach by which IPF would enter the exciting and vibrant industry of Rapid Prototyping (RP) service provision. “We didn’t really know what Objet could deliver, so we didn’t want to make a big upfront investment,” recalled Gary Miller, Head of RP at IPF. “The system gave us some trouble at first. It was clear we needed to purchase Objet’s Upgrade Kit to bring the system to the level of print comparable to an Eden330.”

Convinced of the potential of the RP Service Business, IPF spent a further investment in turning their system from a Quadra Tempo to an Eden330. The gamble clearly paid off, as IPF’s growth over the past few years has been excellent.

Thanks in a large part to its Objet based rapid prototyping activities, in the first year (2004), IPF’s rapid prototyping service business was negligible, but by the end of 2007, it has grown quickly to account for at least 20 percent of IPFs overall business. During the same time period, IPFs overall business grew by an average of 22.5% percent, reaching a record 23% and 25% growth rate in 2006 and 2007 respectively. Starting with zero RP customers in 2004, IPF now has more than 360 customers turning to them for fast production of accurate, life-like prototypes of all manner of plastic products.

Today, RP service is the number one growth driver within IPF. “We’ve experienced a phenomenal growth in our RP business thanks to Objet,” said Miller when asked to summarize what is it about Objet that allows it to be so successful in the market, his response is immediate: “It’s the system’s reliability, its consistent delivery of high quality parts, but also and possibly most importantly, the people that are behind the Objet products.” Indeed, IPF’s satisfaction seems to have no bounds: “We ran into problems to begin with when dealing with the Quadra Tempo. But we always knew we could trust our local partner in the UK and customer support at Objet to handle any trouble we got ourselves into. And the quality of Objet’s reaction time was and still remains of the highest standard”.

Connex500 to Fuel Future Growth

By late 2007, the growth of IPF’s RP business over the past few years had made it clear that the time was ripe for a larger investment in order to further grow the business. What better choice than to eye Objet’s most recent product launch of the Connex500.

“It is clear to us that the PolyJet Matrix Technology is something that will grow our business further in the foreseeable future,”
Miller continued. “In addition to bringing further throughput capacity with its Eden500V-level speed, build tray size and choice of printing modes, the Connex500 also allows for printing of two materials simultaneously, allowing for a new range of Digital Materials to be created.

The possibilities are endless with the Connex500. Our customers can choose what mechanical parameters best suit their needs and off we go!” When asked which of the two crossroad decisions was the most difficult IPF had to face concerning Objet, the purchase of the Quadra Tempo or that of the Connex500, Managing Director Bill Bloomfield barely hesitated: “We had a tougher choice in deciding to purchase the Quadra Tempo than we did in acquiring the Connex500. We know the quality of parts Objet can deliver. We know it’s a reliable system, and we know we can rely on the fantastic customer support that Objet delivers, as well as the great support Objet’s local UK partner continually provided us throughout our long relationship over the last five years.”

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