Vitamix partners with The Technology House to use Carbon’s 3D printing technology to transform part design and production. The blending equipment leader will mass produce a micro-fluidic nozzle that is 10 times more durable, uses 30 percent less material, and is 33 percent more economical.
Earlier this week, a wide range of media outlets collectively clamored about a limited offer from the high-performance blending equipment company Vitamix. Usually priced at over $400, the Vitamix 5200 blender had been made available for just under $300, sending kitchenware consumers into a frenzy. (Unfortunately, that flash deal now seems to be null and void).
Whether you want to make a smoothie, mix frozen margaritas, or just granulate ingredients, Vitamix is known as one of the most renowned blender brands on the market. Now, the company is already back in the spotlight to announce a new partnership that will integrate 3D printing technology into its design and production process.
Read more: Carbon Talks Adidas Collaboration and Bringing 3D Printing to the Serial Production Stage
Working alongside The Technology House (TTH), a leading contract manufacturer in Ohio, Vitamix is using Digital Light Synthesis technology from Carbon to transform its products. The Silicon Valley 3D printing startup will help the blender equipment manufacturer reimagine part design and production.
Vitamix is using Carbon’s 3D printing technology to mass produce a micro-fluidic nozzle at that is 10 times more durable, uses 30 percent less material, and is 33 percent more economical. This pressurized nozzle is a critical part of a Vitamix system that is used to rinse and clean containers in commercial shops.
Vitamix Integrates Carbon’s 3D Printing Technology into Blender Production
As proven through an ongoing collaboration with Adidas, Carbon’s 3D printing technique is the first to offer true serial production capabilities. Traditionally, Vitamix would use injection molding to produce the nozzle in six different pieces. However, by partnering with The Technology House, a Carbon Production Partner, the blending equipment pioneer is able to manufacture the pressurized nozzle as a single piece.
“If you’re going to believe in something that isn’t yet possible, then you have to rethink possible. It’s the only way to get there,” said Jodi Berg, President and CEO, Vitamix. “Our partnership with Carbon is very exciting for us, because it’s helping us rethink the possible every day. Once you realize you can manufacture something differently, then you can think about how those components interact with other components, and how you can achieve an entirely different outcome. It’s about evolving the paradigm of engineering, and now we have a new tool in our toolbox that we’re learning, exploring, and evolving.”
Vitamix is adapting Carbon’s complete manufacturing solution into its design and production process. Using the Speed Cell System–which consists of the M2 3D printer and Smart Washer–and durable Rigid Polyurethane (RPU) material, the blending equipment company is creating nozzles with complex geometries and channels with an excellent surface finish.
Since the nozzle must be able to handle high-pressure fluidics, the quality of this part is especially important. As it turns out, the nozzle produced with Carbon’s 3D printing technology surpassed the quality standards of those manufactured via injection molding.
Vitamix is now sending tens of thousands of these nozzles to stores across the country. On top of that, the collaboration proves once again that Carbon’s 3D printing technology reaches far beyond prototyping, and provides the speed and quality to outmatch traditional manufacturing.
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