Additive manufacturing with Ultimaker 2 Extended+ reduces costs and helps you save time

Hartfield Automation is a high-tech specialist supplier of pneumatic, motion and mobile control solutions.

By adding an Ultimaker 3D printer to the product development process, Hartfiel Automation was able to save time and money while diversifying its services with product offerings such as hydraulic presses, aluminum extrusions, robotics and additional automation solutions.

Provoke

Hartfield Automation needed a solution for prototyping products that they could test and present during customer meetings. Outsourcing projects for processing their products would cost them on average $125 per component and it would last 1 or 2 weeks integrate with an external provider. Since it was estimated that it would cost an average of $3,500 to make the products without prototypes, the Hartfiel Automation team began looking for a cost-effective way to iterate and test the components.

Solution

In an effort to solve customer problems and utilize unique ROI tools, the Hartfield Automation team discovered 3D printing as a convenient solution to prototyping needs. After adding two Ultimaker 2 Extended + 3D printers to your workflow, they were able to reduce prototyping costs from an average of $125 to an average of $4 per component. In addition to saving money, they dramatically reduced the time spent creating component designs, from days to just a few hours.

result

Tangible prototypes visible to customers: The Hartfield Automation team can create functional parts and prototypes on their Ultimaker 2 Extended+ printers, which they then present to customers for hands-on viewing.

Save time through ease of use during production: By incorporating Ultimaker into its tooling range, Hartfield Automation is effectively reducing design time from days to just hours, allowing for greater flexibility in production needs.

Significant cost savings to evolving R&D demands: With the ability to iterate designs and fix small errors before final production, Hartfield Automation can keep up with evolving R&D demands while staying on budget.

Reliability for trouble-free prototyping and design: Combined with the support of the Ultimaker community, the reliable performance of the Ultimaker 2 Extended+ printers allows your team to rely on consistent, quality prints.

Conclusion

The integration of an Ultimaker 3D printer into Hartfiel Automation’s product development workflow represents a clear and powerful illustration of how additive manufacturing can revolutionize traditional high-tech specializations. Before the adoption of 3D printing, development cycles relied heavily on external vendors for prototyping, which inherently introduced delays and significantly increased costs—bottlenecks that stifle innovation in a fast-paced sector.

By bringing rapid prototyping in-house, Hartfiel Automation successfully mitigated these constraints. The ability to quickly iterate on designs, test fits, and validate functional concepts is a game-changer. This agility translates directly into substantial time savings, allowing the company to move from concept to final product much faster. Furthermore, the localized, on-demand production of prototypes provides immediate and measurable cost reductions by eliminating vendor fees and minimum order quantities.

Crucially, the benefits extend beyond mere efficiency. The newfound speed and cost-effectiveness have allowed Hartfiel to be more ambitious and exploratory in its market offerings. The 3D printer served as a catalyst, enabling the company to confidently broaden its service portfolio to encompass complex product lines such as hydraulic presses, custom aluminum extrusions, sophisticated robotics, and diverse automation solutions. This strategic diversification solidifies Hartfiel Automation’s position as a dynamic and comprehensive supplier in the pneumatic and motion control industry. Ultimately, the Ultimaker investment proved to be less an expense and more a strategic tool for innovation, efficiency, and significant business growth.