Customer Profile
Santa Cruz Bicycles produces high-performance bicycles beloved by mountain biking enthusiasts. To accelerate R&D, they adopted a Stratasys Fortus 450mc printer.
Challenge
A customization request came from professional cyclist Danny MacAskill on a tight timeline. Developing a one-off bike frame in carbon fiber required new tooling and molds, which were costly and time-consuming.
Solution
Santa Cruz printed concept frames using ASA for visualization, then produced mandrels in ULTEM 1010 resin to form the molds for carbon fiber layup.
Impact
Santa Cruz achieved rapid iterations, going from CAD to rideable prototype in weeks. Their Fortus 450mc now supports concept modeling, prototyping, composite tooling, and fixtures. The printer also enables precise latex bladders and fatigue test fixtures, saving significant time and cost.
“We’re actually running the printer daily. We’ll be able to develop better bikes quicker, in a more efficient way, and put better products out there for people to enjoy.” — Nic McCrae, R&D Manager
Discover the key benefits and features of Polymer 3D Printers or choose our AM Consultancy Service to manage your entire product development process.
