After seeing the benefits of the SLS system at an industry trade show and testing sample parts, EMP quickly acquired its own system to run DuraForm PA material, a strong, durable plastic
“Now, instead of going through pattern-making, casting and machining—a 16-week process—we can have prototype impellers and volutes made in a couple of days,” says Allen. “We can start testing right away. And if the design doesn’t work out, within another week or less, we’re testing another one.”
Allen emphasizes, “We estimate we’re saving 15 weeks and cutting our costs by 90% with each iteration, but time is what it’s all about. Paring our turnaround time down by 80% or 90% is just incredible for us and for our customers.”
Smarter use of valuable engineering talent
“Good engineering talent is a hot commodity today, as it should be,” says Allen, “and our SLS system has allowed us to better utilize the engineering resources we already have. This means we are more efficient and are able to have engineers spend more time solving problems for our customers.
“Our engineers now have the luxury and the desire to do more research and explore more designs. And if they make a mistake or a design doesn’t work out, it’s no big deal. It’s just a piece of plastic made on our SLS system, not an expensive casting. They fix the error, make another prototype, and move on. It’s not a big disaster.”
Allen adds, “We also have the opportunity to learn more about our products and how they work in real-world applications. It has had such a huge impact on our experience and knowledge of pump manufacturing.”