Bourn & Koch recently expanded its manufacturing capabilities by investing in an in-house 3D printer, with support from a grant provided by the City of Rockford. This investment was the result of extensive research that began with a Lean Six Sigma cost-savings proposal submitted by Syed M. Hasan, Chief Engineer.
The goal for the submission was to determine if 1% of our total parts volume could be converted to additive manufacturing. After completing the analysis, we discovered that approximately 6% of our parts had the potential to be produced using 3D printing.
Though the analysis of the LSS submission did not only look at how many parts could be converted. The team also had to compare the costs to the cost savings we were estimating over time. These costs would include researching and buying a 3D printer and materials. Time for creating work instructions and routings, training employees and finally scrap costs as we begin programming and printing parts.
To justify the long-term investment of these costs, we needed to demonstrate the expected savings in part procurement, reduced lead times, and improved flexibility in manufacturing. Support from the City of Rockford through its grant program played an important role in helping make this project possible.
Once the project was approved, we selected the printer that would fit our needs for return on investment. We have educated employees on how and where to use 3D printed parts, and when additive manufacturing is most effective. We are now making around 90-100 different types of parts using the 3D printer, check out an example here. We have three employees who have been trained to operate the 3D printer currently, but we are encouraging additional team members to add this skill as part of their professional growth as well.
In addition to production parts, the 3D printer has also become a valuable tool for engineering prototyping. Engineers can quickly produce prototype components to validate fit, function, and assembly before committing to machining or purchasing parts. This capability significantly reduces development time and allows design improvements to be tested and implemented much faster than with traditional manufacturing methods.
