Automotive supplier Jasper Engines & Transmissions utilizes Formlabs' 3D printing to create high-quality and cost-effective spare parts for engines and transmissions.
With Form 3+ and Fuse 1+ 30W, they can rapidly produce prototypes, fixtures, and end products, thereby maintaining production and shortening lead times.
3D printing enables the company to quickly respond to customer needs and increase production efficiency.
3D Printing Enables Fast and Affordable Production at Jasper Engines & Transmissions.
Jasper Engines & Transmissions leverages Formlabs 3D printers to cost-effectively produce engine and transmission spare parts, quickly getting customers back on the road; Image: Jasper Engines & Transmissions
Over the past three years, affordable cars have been the most sought-after product, not vaccines or COVID-19 tests. Shortages of computer chips and delivery disruptions brought the new car market to a standstill, and used cars became expensive. Car owners had to stick with their current vehicles, even if it meant visiting their local mechanic.
In this situation, 3D printing helped Jasper Engines & Transmissions, a remanufacturer working with thousands of independent garages across the country, address engine and transmission lead times and get people back on the road. JASPER sells nearly 7,000 transmissions and 5,500 engines each month and has integrated high-throughput 3D printing into their manufacturing process.
Shane Petty, a product development engineer at JASPER, uses Form 3+ and Fuse 1+ 30W as well as FDM printers to create parts for various departments. The company utilizes 3D printing for end products, tools, rapid prototyping, and equipment spare parts.
As the company has grown, their investment in 3D printing has grown as well, and Petty's team continues to find new ways to reduce costs and shorten lead times with Formlabs printers.
JASPER offers remanufactured powertrain components with new and qualified parts. They disassemble and clean the core, inspect the parts, and make improvements as needed. After reassembly, transmissions are tested on the dynamometer, and gasoline engines are live-run tested before being distributed nationwide using their own fleet of trucks. 3D printing helps in quickly and cost-effectively producing prototypes, go/no-go test gauges, fixtures, and more.
The growing internal support for 3D printing at JASPER has played a significant role in Petty's success. By completing projects for various departments within the company, he spreads the message that the 3D printing lab can manufacture end products, tooling requests, fixtures, and prototypes. The use of nylon powder in SLS printing has increased awareness of the possibilities of 3D printing among the employees.
3D printing has helped Jasper Engines & Transmissions maintain production lines, secure the supply chain, and retain customers when other suppliers failed. The company utilizes Formlabs printers in every stage of the process to manufacture production parts, tools, and even spare parts for their own equipment, keeping the production running smoothly.
