Icon Technologies, an RV OE and aftermarket supplier, is decreasing product manufacturing times and improving accuracy after acquiring new machinery created by Rockhill, South Carolina-based 3D Systems.
Icon has added 3D Systems’ EXT1270 Titan Pellet 3D printer to its thermoforming operations.
Icon manufacturers fender skirts, water tanks, waste holding tanks and more.
Thermoforming is a process that involves melting a plastic sheet over a mold to take a desired shape. Roto molding is a process that includes melting a material inside a hollow mold and shaking the mold until the material coats the entire interior. The material cools in the shape of the mold’s interior.
The Titan Pellet 3D printer creates part molds to expedite manufacturing processes. The EXT1270 Titan makes large molds, ideal for the large thermoforming projects Icon manufacturers. The machine has various nozzle sizes, enabling the machine to print finer material layers. The printer has a spindle tool that con
trols the machine’s axis of motion, enhancing the trimming process CNC machines normally do.
Icon Marketing Manager Jordan Martindale said the 3D printer will help Icon get its products more quickly to OEMs and aftermarket customers. Martindale said Icon will often reverse-engineer damaged parts, such as fender skirts, by producing a new mold with the same measurements.
Martindale said the machine will prototype reverse-engineered parts for aftermarket customers. He said the machine completes much of the part manufacturing process.
According to 3D Systems, the machine provides up to an 88% raw material savings, depending on application. The printer can help companies reduce lead time by up to 65%, 3D Systems said.
Icon Technologies President and CEO John Loewen said, “With the breadth of industries we serve and the large molds we produce, it is imperative that we maximize our productivity. 3D Systems’ EXT Titan Pellet 3D printer is the best solution to help us provide high-quality products to our customers.”
