Italian 3D printer manufacturer WASP announced a partnership with Technogym, a fitness equipment provider. The company is using the Delta WASP 4070 INDUSTRIAL 4.0 3D printer to help prototype and develop its new fitness equipment.
Technogym bought a 3D printer from WASP because it wanted to reduce maintenance costs while being able to produce large prototype parts. Therefore, the WASP 3D printer helped Technogym reduce delivery time, especially on large parts. “We chose the Delta WASP 4070 INDUSTRIAL 4.0 system for many reasons, the most important of which is undoubtedly the feasibility of mass printing,” Technogym explained in a statement.
“We also appreciate its printing speed and the much lower cost of support-materials, which allows us to buy more material spools and make more tests. ”
3D printed prototypes in the fitness industry
Technogym was established in 1983, is a manufacturer and supplier of home and fitness facilities fitness equipment. The company is also the exclusive supplier of the Rio 2016 Summer Olympics.
To help develop products, the Technogym Village headquarters in Cesena, Italy, has a T factory and a T research and development department. More than 130 engineers and designers in this department have produced 142 international patents and 93 trademarks for the company. The village aims to be a “hotbed of ideas, sharing innovation, information, and research.”
As a result, the company has placed its Delta WASP 4070 INDUSTRIAL 4.0 3D printer in its T-Factory & T-Research and Development Department, which combines all of the company’s manufacturing processes to facilitate product design. Therefore, many years of using the WASP 3D printer to prototype many of the company’s products.
Delta WASP 4070 INDUSTRIAL 4.0 is an FDM 3D printer built specifically for the production of large parts. Its volume is Ø400 x h 700 mm. It also has a maximum printing speed of 150 mm/s. Technogym decided to buy this 3D printer because the company believes it can help them visualize and accurately express their product ideas, especially in terms of shape and purpose.
Previously, Technogym had a smaller 3D printer, which allowed it to prototype parts using ABS, but the company needed a larger solution to produce larger components. Therefore, the Delta WASP 4070 INDUSTRIAL 4.0 3D printer is now a key part of the company’s design and production workflow. The company can produce 15 to 20 parts for a prototype of fitness equipment every month, with a size of up to 30 cm, while also reducing errors during the product development stage. The material compatibility of the Delta 3D printer also allows Technogym to use PLA filament for prototyping, which is the first choice for conceptual models because they do not release toxic fumes during extrusion and deposition.
3D printing application using WASP
WASP’s 3D printers are diverse and cover a variety of materials from small to large-scale 3D printing, including ceramics. Therefore, they have been used in many interesting use cases over the years. Recently, the company’s Delta WASP 2040 INDUSTRIAL 4.0 3D printer was integrated into a mixer that combines additive manufacturing and juice extraction. The product is called Feel the Peel and is a circular food system created by innovation and design company Carlo Ratti.
Recently, WASP also collaborated with Mario Cucinella Architects (MCA), a construction company based in Bologna. The partners use WASPS architectural 3D printing technology to create 3D printed housing models for sustainable global habitats. This includes the Crane WASP 3D printer, which has a printing area with a diameter of 6.60 m and a height of 3 meters.
