Hoyu Tooling Limited

Mr. Lam Suet Fung Owner
Head of Prototyping Division

HOYU Tooling Brings 90% of its
Prototyping In-house with Objet

Connex500 Multi-Material 3D Printer

HOYU Tooling is a Hong Kong-based company with over 20 years’ experience in the tooling industry. Providing a wide range of services, from rapid prototyping to mold manufacturing, HOYU helps companies navigate through the manufacturing processes efficiently and reliably, while avoiding costly modifications.

HOYU caters to a wide range of industries and products, such as household goods, mechanical robots, premium toys, and more. With specific expertise in the toy industry, HOYU delivers over 4,000 different molds on an annual basis, and serves global

customers such as Mattel and McDonald’s.

HOYU’s rapid prototyping services allow its customers to evaluate new designs as well as check the form and function for manufacturability. Increased demand for these services meant the company had to outsource large portions of its prototyping business.

“This created two major challenges,” says Mr. Lam, Head of Prototyping Division at HOYU. “First, the high cost of outsourcing reduced our margins. Then, there was the issue of confidentiality, since safeguarding companies’ designs is an integral part of our

service. Outsourcing significantly increased our risk.”

HOYU was looking for an in-house 3D printer solution that would allow the company to respond quickly to its customers, reduce costs, and maintain confidentiality. An additional requirement was the ability to print very fine details. “Since we service many toy companies, we often need to prototype small figurines, and must be able to print very fine facial details,” says Mr. Lam.

Emulating the Precise Feel and Function of End Products

After evaluating several 3D system alternatives, such as SLA and Thermojet, HOYU selected the Objet Connex500TM multi-material 3D printer.

The Objet Connex500 provides a unique ability to simultaneously print parts and assemblies made of multiple materials with different mechanical or physical properties - all in a single build. For example, when the HOYU team prototypes a figurine, they can print in a single run both the body with rigid materials, and the belt with soft materials – to deliver an accurate simulation of the end product in terms of texture, touch and feel. The requirements for printing the accurate facial elements of the figurine is fully met by the Objet Connex500 as it excels in high-resolution, high-quality printing, producing exceptionally fine details. Ultra-thin 16-micron layers enable smooth surfaces...

“With the Objet printer in house, our designers can quickly verify design concept, while our engineers can perform functional testing and examine the moving pieces of the prototype such as arms and

legs,” says Mr. Lam. After painting and post-processing, models are presented to customers for approval prior to mold manufacturing.

Reaching Peak Productivity with the Objet Connex500

Since purchasing the Objet Connex500 printer, HOYU has moved ninety percent of its prototype printing in house. “In cases where we cannot handle the load and must outsource jobs, we do not outsource the complete product, but print parts of the models in-house to maintain confidentiality,” says Mr. Lam. HOYU is using the Objet Connex500 at full capacity to handle customer demand. The printer runs 10 hours a day, five days a week. “Objet Studio is so user-friendly that almost every staff member within my team is capable of using the printer,” says Mr. Lam. “I am particularly happy with the huge tray size, which saves us a lot of time and allows us to print several models in a single build. The printer works unattended, so I always start a print job before I leave office in the evening, so that I can have the models ready the next morning.”

“We use the Objet printer 10 hours per day, five days every

week - each time with a full tray.”