Customer

XO Boats is a Finnish manufacturer of motorboats with sturdy aluminium hulls. The boats are suited for both professional and recreational use. As a Scandinavian company, XO BOATS pays attention to the boats design.

Challenge

XO Boats needed ventilation grilles with a specific shape and dimension. Another problematic area was its “shapeless” form. This consisted of slanted walls that made it almost impossible to design a mould for it. Additionally, due to the fact the demand for this part was very low, the production of the mould was not very economical.

Solution

Due to the unusual shape and low demand, 3D printing was the best production procedure. Considering the exposure to water and required durability of the grille, HP Multi Jet Fusion and PA12 material proved to be the best technology possible. An additional advantage of HP MJF was the fact that the natural colour of the parts perfectly matched the boat design;, thus, no additional finish was necessary.

Depending on demand, the grilles are delivered monthly in a just-in-time mode.

Benefits

✔️ Lightweight
✔️ Flexibility of the shape
✔️ Easy and fast prototyping
✔️ Durability and weather resistance