Making sustainable manufacturing possible

Making it possible

Part validation and supply chain transformation

1. Identifying parts and manufacturing methods

Fast Radius’s application engineers collaborated with Husqvarna Group to identify parts they could produce reliably at scale with additive manufacturing. Once the parts were selected, Fast Radius drew on extensive expertise in additive technologies to determine the best way to make the parts based on cost and performance requirements. HP Multi Jet Fusion (MJF) and Carbon® Digital Light Synthesis™ (DLS) were chosen as the ideal technologies for handling Husqvarna Group’s broad range of parts.

2. Part approval process

Once the teams identified families of parts that could be produced additively, they needed to validate the parts’ performance and durability to certify them for production and sale. This meant performing UV resistance tests, chemical resistance tests, days-long cycle tests and ultimately evaluating real-world performance in the field.  The end result is a rigorous Production Part Approval Process (PPAP) that enables Husqvarna Group and Fast Radius to reliably make existing parts and onboard new ones.

3. Virtual Warehousing

After parts pass Husqvarna Group’s PPAP, the designs and production specifications are stored digitally in the Fast Radius Virtual Warehouse, meaning parts can be made on demand when they’re needed in any quantity. This eliminates the supply chain costs associated with traditional manufacturing including tooling, warehousing, high minimum order quantities, material waste and part obsolescence.

4. Enhancing the customer experience

The Virtual Warehouse enables a better experience for Husqvarna’s customers, too. With traditional manufacturing, if a customer needs a part that isn’t readily available, replenishment can take weeks. Even worse, parts for older products might not be available at all if they’ve reached “end of life.” Now, when a Husqvarna Group customer needs a replacement part that’s hosted in the Fast Radius Virtual Warehouse, Fast Radius can produce and deliver the part in a matter of days. The part will never be out of stock again, giving peace of mind to Husqvarna Group’s end customers.

5. Sustainable manufacturing solutions

Additive manufacturing is an element in Husqvarna Group’s sustainability program, “Sustainovate,” which establishes publicly recognized and testified CO2 reduction targets for the year 2035. Unlike traditional manufacturing processes, which require high minimum order quantities, additive allows for economical production in units as small as one. Because of this, Husqvarna Group can produce only as many parts as their customers need at a time — no more, no less — resulting in less material waste, no obsolete parts and a lower carbon footprint.

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The results

An efficient and sustainable supply chain made possible by additive manufacturing and a virtual warehouse