3D Printing Enables Air Conditioner Solutions Provider to Reduce Design Validation Time By 80 Percent

The Stratasys 3D printer has drastically reduced our design validation timelines and prototyping efforts with ease. Our designers are happy to have the 3D printing facility in-house as it enables them to quickly respond to customer requirements and serve them in record time. -Sundeep Singh Hunjan, General Manager R&D - Room Air Conditioners Amber Enterprises India Ltd

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Heating up the AC market with élan

Amber Enterprises India Ltd. (Amber) is a prominent solutions provider for original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and original design manufacturers (ODMs) of air conditioners in India. Since being estab­lished in 1992, the company has grown at a rapid pace and has now become one of the largest manufacturers of white goods in India. Amber has 10 manufactur­ing facilities that focus on different product segments. The company has a dominant presence in the room air conditioner (RAC) complete unit market and also supplies major RAC components to prominent Indian AC manufacturers.

With expertise in components like heat exchangers, sheet metal components, injection molding components and system tubing and motors, Amber has strongly positioned itself in the market in terms of quality, cost, and delivery timelines. Over the years, Amber has acquired expertise in manufacturing AC and non-AC compo­nents and now boasts of a diversified product portfolio, which includes split and window ACs for commercial and residential use; package ACs for Indian Railways and commercial use; multi-flow condensers; home appliances like washing machines, refrigerators and microwaves; luminaries for commercial use; plastic extrusion sheets; vacuum forming compo­nents, and auto parts. Amber is an International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 9001 – 2008 certi­fied company and its relentless focus on quality and processes has earned them a client list that includes the who’s who in the manufactur­ing sector.

Battling design validation and prototyping delays

Amber’s AC OEM customers come up with unique requirements of new product designs and modifications to existing internal, external, and machine parts of split and window ACs. Some requirements also necessitate the team to work on AC aesthetics. Since the AC market is extremely time sensitive, all customers demand fulfilment of product modifications and supplies in record time. Amber always strives to remain relevant to its customers and maintains its robust position in the white goods manufacturing segment. The Amber team understands the importance of quick response to design modifications to suit customer product aesthetics and hence always rises up to the occasion with results that please their OEM customers.

Before adding in house 3D Printer, the Amber team had a tough time fulfilling customer requirements with respect to timelines. The engineering and design expertise at Amber would always deliver the optimal designs but usually, design validation took longer than customer expectations. This was because Amber used to outsource their prototyping requirements for want of prototyping facilities in the own plants. Prototype outsourcing usually goes hand-in-hand with delay in prototype delivery and longer prototyping cycles owing to multiple iterations, which ultimately affect design validation timelines. To gain control over prototyping cycles, the Amber team looked at 3D printing as a viable solution and invested in a Stratasys 3D printer, which completely changed the game for them.

The Amber team hoped to see the traditional prototype outsourcing model in the rear view mirror and speed up to achieve their design validation targets for various customer requirements. The designers at Amber wanted to print high-quality product prototypes that would enable them to perform functional testing in record time. Amber approached DesingTech with their requirement and got an absolute fit in DesignTech’s offering, the  Fseries & Mojo 3D printer from Stratasys.

Validating designs in record time with 3D printing

With a Stratasys 3D printer available in-house, the prototyping, testing, and design validation processes were to never remain the same at Amber. Designers at Amber started using the Stratasys 3D printer to print the required parts of split and window ACs, including parts that would elevate product aesthetics, and achieved great results. The 3D-printed parts enabled the team to promptly assess, analyze, and finalize product designs as in-house 3D printing greatly reduced the number of prototyping iterations and also the time required for each iteration. Designers at Amber are elated at the output offered by the Stratasys 3D printer in terms of form, fit, and aesthetics of the printed prototypes.

Looking at the results and ease of use offered by 3D printing, the Amber team is geared up to serve all OEM customer requirements at short notice. The team is happy to reap a time saving of close to 80 percent in design validation cycles as what earlier used to take 15 days is now easily achieved in not more than three days. The cost saving of up to 20 percent that the team realized through in-house 3D printing is another achievement that makes them happy. Apart from the time and cost benefits, the team is also impressed with the quality and finish of the printed parts as they always pass the functional and other tests with ease.

Stratasys Industrial Grade – Additive manufacturing solutions helped us from Conceptualization to Part in Hand. With repeatability and accurate results, we are able to manage Fit, Form and Function testing.
Parmeet Singh – Design Manager
Amber Enterprises India Ltd

METHODTIME
Past (Without 3D printer)15 days
Present (With Stratasys 3D printer)3 days
Savings12 days (80%)

DesignTech Systems Support

The Amber team is thankful to the DesignTech team for their help in selecting the right Printer, providing appropriate training, and continuing their support throughout the journey. Looking at the results and ease of use offered by 3D Printing, the Amber team is geared up to serve all OEM customer requirements at short notice.

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