From Print to Production: Optimizing Post-Printing Workflows at J.W. Speaker

Customer Overview

About J.W. Speaker

J.W. Speaker designs and manufactures high-performance LED lighting technology for automotive, powersports, transportation, and industrial applications. A long-time adopter of additive manufacturing, the company has leveraged 3D printing for more than a decade and recently expanded its capabilities with the Stratasys F3300 to produce production fixtures and tooling more efficiently.

Business Challenge

Manual Support Removal Limited Throughput

Prior to implementing automation, J.W. Speaker relied on a manual support-removal workflow involving extensive operator intervention, chemical soaking, rinsing, and overnight drying. As production volumes increased, the process became a bottleneck that slowed part availability and limited scalability. Larger fixtures were especially difficult to process efficiently.

Challenge Highlights

• Labor-intensive support removal process
• Overnight drying requirements
• Delayed access to finished parts
• Limited scalability as print volumes grew
• Difficulty processing larger fixtures efficiently

Solution

To eliminate bottlenecks, J.W. Speaker implemented the PostProcess BASE automated FDM support removal solution alongside the Stratasys F3300. The combination enabled a more streamlined additive manufacturing workflow by automating support removal and increasing capacity for larger tooling applications.

Key Solution Benefits

• Automated spray-based support removal
• Reduced operator involvement
• Elimination of prolonged soaking and drying
• Improved throughput and workflow efficiency
• Support for larger and more complex tooling applications

Results

Faster Turnaround Times and Measurable Savings

The combined Stratasys and PostProcess workflow delivered significant improvements in productivity, labor efficiency, and scalability. Parts that previously required overnight drying can now be processed and ready in as little as 10 minutes.

Results at a Glance

• 78% Time Savings 
            -Reduced turnaround from approximately one week to nine hours for internally produced fixtures.

• 89% Faster than Outsourcing 

           -Reduced turnaround from two weeks to nine hours when compared to outsourced production.

• $60K–$75K Annual Savings 
              - Estimated annual savings through reduced machining, outsourcing, labor, and material waste.
• Larger Fixture Production 

             - Ability to produce fixtures up to 18" x 18" in a single build, reducing assembly requirements and improving structural integrity.

Download the case study