Customer Profile
Thinkable Studio, a German design agency specializing in consumer goods, industrial technology, and medical markets, is led by Founder and CEO Jörg Schlieffers, who brings over 25 years of experience in product design and hands-on expertise in 3D printing. The studio is known for transforming conceptual ideas into tangible, market-ready designs that balance innovation with functionality.
Challenges
For complex projects like the savAR bike helmet—which integrates AR technology, transparent visors, and embedded lighting—existing prototyping tools could not achieve the precision, transparency, or texture realism needed to validate design intent. Outsourcing model production also introduced long lead times and confidentiality risks for client-sensitive projects.
The increasing demand from clients for high-fidelity, realistic prototypes that accurately reflected final product color, material, and finish (CMF). Traditional prototyping methods were time-consuming, costly, and limited in their ability to replicate intricate visual and functional details.
Solutions
Thinkable Studio adopted Stratasys PolyJet technology using the J55 Prime system. This solution allowed the team to leverage full CMF capabilities - printing in multiple colors, materials, and surface finishes directly from their digital design files.
Through seamless integration with KeyShot, the team visualized and refined multiple design iterations before printing. The J55 Prime and VeroClear materials enabled the studio to 3D print transparent visors with integrated LED lighting and embedded AR graphics, achieving a level of realism previously unattainable.
Impact
With the J55, we have slashed the time it takes to create ultra-realistic models from two weeks to just one or two days and reduced our costs by up to 75%. - Jörg Schlieffers, Founder, Thinkable Studio
By bringing model production in-house, Thinkable Studio achieved:
- Up to 75% cost reduction compared to outsourcing
- Faster turnaround times, producing lifelike prototypes within 1–2 days instead of two weeks
- Enhanced client confidentiality, as all design and printing processes are handled internally
- Improved design validation, with photorealistic models enabling better client communication and faster decision-making
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