Fastening Processes

Consumer Goods Giant Unilever Iterates 50 Percent Faster With 3d Printing

Today’s global market has created a variety of challenges for consumer brands. Products that used to be visibly unchanged for years may now be in a state of continuous evolution. The on-going development of product design can be time-consuming and costly for companies because of the scale and processes involved. This is why the Italian division of international consumer goods giant, Unilever, invested in 3D printing to make injection moulds, blow moulds and thermoform (vacuum) moulds for accelerated prototype and part development without the need for conventional tooling.

Competitive time and cost Challenge With more than 400 brands in its four divisions, Unilever needs to ensure that all are competitive, meet ever-changing product standards and differentiate themselves on the shelf. Developing and refining components for the Home Care, Personal Care, Food and Refreshment divisions is, in part, the responsibility of Unilever’s facility in Caselpusterlengo, Italy. “The idea was to move from relying on images and 3D files to rapid prototyping machines and reduce our time to market,” explains Stefano Cademartiri, R&D, CAP and prototyping specialist at Unilever. “The new vision for the future of CAD development was to invest in a 3D printer that was easy to use and could produce fast concept prototypes using heat resistant ABS materials.”