3D printing technology is transforming the consumer goods industry in more ways than one. Benefits such as faster production times, more customisation, and cheaper manufacturing costs are making more and more turn to 3D printing or additive manufacturing for their manufacturing needs. Here are 5 Creative 3D Printing Innovations from the Retail Industry.
3D printed parts from Whirlpool
Whirlpool has been adopting 3D printing in their spare parts production. Partnering up with a Singaporean service bureau Spare Parts 3D, it aims to combat obsolesce and shortage in their spare parts catalogue.
3D printed mascara brush from Chanel
French high-luxury beauty brand Chanel is one of the first in its industry to utilize 3D printing in its products starting with the Révolution Volume mascara brush. They used Selective Laser Sintering (SLS) in order to produce 50,000 brushes a day. The technology also allowed Chanel to create 100 iterations of the brush, a jaw-dropping prototyping feat that is not possible outside of 3D printing. The brush features microcavities that allow it to absorb more mascara than other brushes, and a granular texture on the bristles for improved surface area and product distribution.
3D printed coffee jar from Nescafe
As one of the leading coffee brands in the world, Nescafe has released a high-tech coffee jar that is equipped with a cap that also serves as an alarm clock. The cap lights up when it is in alarm. In order to turn off the alarm, people have to open the jar and in doing so, catch a whiff of the coffee inside to wake them up.
3D printed custom soles from Dr. Scholl’s
No two pairs of feet are alike. Footwear brand Dr. Scholl’s gained headway in the mass customisation trend by producing 3D printed custom soles that are tailored to a customer’s foot dimensions. It uses a customisation app powered by Wivv Fit Technology which allows scanning of a person’s foot accurately. It then creates the custom insoles using the 400 mapping points from the scan in under five minutes.
3D printed chair customisations from IKEA
3D printing is heavily utilised in the chairs made by IKEA. First, they created a gaming chair that is personalised according to the user’s specifications with the use of 3D printing. All the user has to do 3D scan themselves. The turnaround time for each chair is two weeks.
Second, the knit pattern of the traditional chairs is also customisable thanks to 3D printing.
Let 3D printing transform your manufacturing process
3D printing offers a host of benefits for retail companies to simplify and streamline their production process. Let this technology transform your business. If you want to get a feel of how 3D printing can help your business, you can outsource some of your projects to us. Simply fill us in on your project through this form and we will give you a complimentary quote. Alternatively, you can contact us at (08) 6380 7488 (8:30am – 4:00pm, Monday to Friday) or x3d@x3d.com.au.