At SICAM, we continue to perfect our 3D printing processes and technology, building on over three decades of history and expertise in the industry. However, we also proud to help other companies success through our rapid prototyping services, like short-run injection molding. One particular case is toymaker Amloid. While they’re a huge company, partnering with Tonka and Crayola, Amloid is a family-owned company with a history of manufacturing dating back to 1916.
Although Amloid had enjoyed immense achievements through its years in the toy market, they were suffering from rapid prototyping issues that were hindering their growth and impeding their sales. That where SICAM came in. Let’s take a look at this case study and see how we were able to help Amloid triple their sales and continue to further secure their foothold in the children’s toy industry.
The Problem
The main issue we found with Amloid was that their rapid prototyping was not only fragile, but extremely slow as well. This created significant challenges for them, especially since they’re in a cutthroat industry that demands quick turnaround times to market, all on minuscule margins. Additionally, Amloid was using additive manufacturing materials and stereolithography techniques, which required finished work, costing them extra time, money, and resources. And not only that, but when retailers would receive their shipments, they were often already broken in the shipping process. In short, it was clear that they needed to reduce these unnecessary costs and long production cycle by enhancing the rapid prototyping.
The Solution
SICAM was proud to work on several projects to help Amloid increase their profitability and reduce operating costs by improving their rapid prototyping processes. According to Mike Albarelli Jr., President of the Amloid Corporation, “We’d tried several different prototyping options, but nothing came anywhere near the quality of the DSM materials for 3D printing or SICAM’s rapid prototyping skills, knowledge, and unique product development experience.”
Specifically, one of the projects was a Tonka toy truck with blocks. We produced prototypes made of 11 parts in total, all using Somos® EvoLVe 128 for 3D printing, from DSM Additive Manufacturing. Through our guidance, training, and expertise, we were able to help Amloid augment their processes throughout the manufacturing and tooling stages and prevent the problems that were causing them both time and money. Not only that, but we were also able to slice their concept-to-manufacture process in half
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Payoff
After partnering with SICAM, Amloid experienced a massive boost and saw their sales triple, thanks to improved rapid prototyping processes. The company has also gained market share, and the Tonka Block Truck has even begun to replace a similar competitor’s model, which is a considerable feat in the industry. Additionally, these projects were the beginning of a mutually beneficial partnership. “Today, around 95% of our rapid prototyping work is through SICAM, using DSM 3D printing materials,” says Albarelli, Jr.
For more information on short-run production molding, our partnership with Amloid, or what we can do to improve your company’s rapid prototyping processes, contact us today.