Using 3D Printing, Unilever can produce prototypes in the final material for functional andconsumer testing 40 percent faster than before.

Strengthening
BrandsConsumer goods giant
Unilever iterates 50 percent
faster with 3D printing

By 3D printing the injection
molds with Digital ABS, we’reable to achieve the high quality
associated with traditional
manufactured prototypes,
while ensuring that the hightemperatures and pressures ofthe injection molding process
can be sustained.”
Stefano Cademartiri

Case Study

R&D, CAP andprototyping specialist at Unilever2

Strengthening
BrandsToday’s global market has created a variety ofchallenges for consumer brands. Products thatused to be visibly unchanged for years may now
be in a state of continuous evolution. The ongoingdevelopment of product design can be timeconsuming and costly for companies because of
the scale and processes involved. This is why theItalian division of international consumer goods giant,Unilever, invested in 3D printing to make injection
molds, blow molds and thermoform (vacuum) molds
for accelerated prototype and part development
without the need for conventional tooling.

A 3D printed injection mold for a Domestos-brand toilet rim block

Competitive Time and Cost ChallengeWith more than 400 brands in its four divisions,
Unilever needs to ensure that all are competitive, meetever-changing product standards and differentiatethemselves on the shelf. Developing and refining
components for the Home Care, Personal Care, Foodand Refreshment divisions is, in part, the responsibilityof Unilever’s facility in Caselpusterlengo, Italy.
“The idea was to move from relying on images and3D files to rapid prototyping machines and reduce
our time to market,” explains Stefano Cademartiri,R&D, CAP and prototyping specialist at Unilever. “Thenew vision for the future of CAD development was toinvest in a 3D printer that was easy to use and could
produce fast concept prototypes using heat-resistant
ABS materials.”
Localized Supply Chains
The investment in an Objet500 Connex™ 3D Printer1
helped transform the Caselpusterlengo facility froma satellite of the main design center in Port Sunlight,
United Kingdom, to a much bigger player in Unilever’s€1 billion-plus R&D establishment.

Document
CaseStudyTitle Here2Cademartiri says 3D printing lets Unilever produce
parts in the final materials for functional and consumer
tests more quickly. “Before, we would have to wait
several weeks to receive prototype parts using
our traditional tooling process; not only would thislengthen lead times, it would also increase costs if
iterations were required. With 3D printing, we’re now
able to apply design iterations to the mold within amatter of hours, enabling us to produce prototype

parts in final materials such as polypropylene much
faster – often on the same day.”
Unilever uses the Objet500 Connex 3D Printer toproduce injection and blow mold tools for partdevelopment across its divisions for regional andglobal markets. Cademartiri and his team 3D print
injection mold tools in Digital ABS™, a material withhigh temperature resistance and toughness.
“By 3D printing the injection molds with Digital ABS,
we’re able to achieve the high quality associatedwith traditional manufactured prototypes, while
ensuring that the high temperatures and pressuresof the injection molding process can be sustained,”
Cademartiri explains.
The 3D printed molds not only meet theserequirements, but can also be produced in significantly
reduced times and at 20 percent the cost.2 Compared
to traditional model making, Unilever’s Objet500
Connex 3D Printer delivers iterations 50 percent
faster, reducing development turnaround times by 40percent.
The Unilever brands that are being prototyped withthe 3D printer include Domestos, Comfort andMetadent. “Mold tools for parts such as bottle capsand closures and toilet rim blocks are produced inruns of about 50 units for functional and consumer
testing,” Cademartiri says.

3Strengthening
BrandsLead Times Reduced by 35 Percent
Complementing injection mold tool production at
Unilever is an FDM®-based Fortus 360mc™ 3D
Production System. The Fortus system employs ABSM30™ and polycarbonate production-grade plastics.

wooden molds, we found that we were accumulating
significant labor costs and having to contend withlengthy lead times. However, since 3D printing thesetools ourselves, we’ve reduced lead times in theconceptual phase by approximately 35 percent.”“The strength and flexibility of these materials enable
us to develop thermoformed prototypes in final
production materials for testing and evaluation,”says Cademartiri. “Having previously outsourced
our thermoforming requirements for handmade

Cademartiri concludes: “The technology hasenhanced our overall manufacturing process, allowing
us to evaluate our designs quickly and eliminate thosethat are not suitable, before committing to significant
investment towards mass production.”

12

Overmach SpA, Parma, Italy. www.overmach.it
The cost of a metal mold was €4K to €5K; molds made with the Objet500 Connex 3D Printer cost between €800 and €1K.

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Case Study

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