WIESEMANN 1893/ MakerBot
Hand tool manufacturer WIESEMANN 1893 has deployed MakerBot’s METHOD X 3D printing system to support product development within its ENABLE 3D business unit.
Enable 3D offers 100 digital designs for tool accessories, all of which have been developed specifically for 3D printing. Products include wall mounts, wall brackets and table stands.
Typically, WIESEMANN has carried out most of its prototyping via external service providers but sought to integrate 3D printing technology in a bid to reduce lead times and costs. The company installed the METHOD X as its first 3D printer – largely because of its heated build chamber and capacity to print in materials such as ABS, Nylon and carbon fibre composites – and has also utilised MakerBot’s LABS extruder to ‘unlock the potential of their own materials’ on the machine. WIESEMANN is said to have recycled filament from its product waste streams and integrated it into METHOD’s ecosystem.
By bringing 3D printing technology in-house, WIESEMANN says it has been able to test different iterations and designs for all WIESEMANN 1893 tools, as well as other projects for customers. It also allowed the company to ‘keep production running’ while deploying a skeleton staff on site during the pandemic.
In 2020, the company also launched the Enable 3D platform after founder and CEO Manuel Siskowski noticed a rise in consumer applications of 3D printing. Believing his company could offer a value-add to products they already own, ENABLE 3D was set up to offer a hundred different digital designs of tooling accessories. The files can be downloaded from Thingiverse for free and can be printed on a customer’s own 3D printer or co-produced with ENABLE 3D. A community printing service is also on hand to support users who don’t have access to a 3D printer. The METHOD X allows WIESEMANN 1893 to test these files first and make sure they meet their high standards before distributing the files to customers.
“We are seeing a shift in product design, where we are able to be much more creative,” commented Siskowski. “Prototyping is key for us. We focus on quality designs and try to deliver the highest quality possible. To do that, it is crucial to test a lot and iterate quickly, and the MakerBot METHOD X helps us by speeding up that process. It is a great benefit during prototyping because it increases our time to market significantly, while reducing costs.
“With ENABLE 3D, we commercialise and develop additive manufacturing use cases, and all of those use cases focus on the coproduction side of things. In those applications, we have a brand or a designer, and the production is done by the consumer. With the WIESEMANN 1893 brand, we continue to develop different tools and products. But with all our projects, whether it is for WIESEMANN 1893 or ENABLE 3D, we are working hard to close the circular gap.”
