3 D P R I N T I N G CASE STUDY: A PROFILE OF 3D SUCCESS WITH APL WINDOW SOLUTIONS 50 September 2017 Formed in 1971, APL Window Solutions is New Zealand’s largest window and door solutions supplier, and the parent company of popular window brands Altherm Window Systems, First Windows & Doors and Vantage Windows & Doors. EARLY ADOPTERS OF 3D In the late 1990s APL invested in a new 3D CAD software programme called Solid- Works. Unlike its competitors at the time, SolidWorks was within the price range of most companies. APL lost no time in realising its potential. Within a year they were sending their own 3D profile drawings to RPM Solutions in Australia to print their prototype models. RPM subsequently merged with 3D Systems, a global leader in 3D solutions. APL’s design and innovation manager, Darryl Vooght, heads up the team developing new product design. While appreciating the opportunities 3D printing offered in those relatively early days, he says it came with limitations. “It would take around seven days to receive our prototypes back from Australia. By the time the part was made, sent back to us by courier and scrutinised by Customs, it wasn’t a speedy process. And if we needed to refine the design, we’d have to go through the process all over again.” HOME-USE VS HIGHEND Wanting to achieve a better turnaround time, APL dabbled in using home/hobbyist style 3D printers a couple of years ago. But removing the supports from the printed output was a painstaking manual process that didn’t always produce a standard, usable result. “By the time you cleaned up the model, it wasn’t a very accurate representation of what you’d designed,” says Mr Vooght. “It showed up the considerable difference between home-user 3D printers, and the high-end printers we accessed through 3D Systems in Australia.” The exercise further highlighted the value of a fast turnaround. This set the wheels in motion to bringing professional 3D printing in-house. THE PROJET MJP 2500 PLUS After a positive 20-year relationship, Mr Vooght trusted the 3D Systems brand and was delighted to find that Fuji Xerox is the exclusive distributor of 3D Systems printers in New Zealand. When he opened discussions with Fuji Xerox he was impressed with the company’s range of devices, the comprehensive
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