Plastics save the day for chocolate lovers by improving the production of chocolate candy bars!

Stratasys, Ltd. has created a nylon 12 carbon-filled material that Visual First has implemented into their 3D printing to make replacement parts for machines in The Chocolate Factory, a chocolate company based in the Netherlands.

The Chocolate Factory relies on its system of packaging machines on a daily basis, and these machines rely on a single, hook-shaped metal bar that puts wrapped chocolate bars onto a conveyor.  These metal bars often need replacing, upwards of three times a month, and the manufacturing and delivery of a single bar can take up to a month.  

“It’s crucial that the packaging machine is always operational, especially during hectic periods such as Christmas,” Visual First owner Carl van de Rijzen said in the release. “With Stratasys additive manufacturing, we can produce customized replacement parts on-demand that can perform just as effectively as the metal machine parts.”

“The factory is now enjoying increased production throughput by replacing the metal machine part with our 3D printed version,” he added.

This is great news for chocolate lovers all over the world, as The Chocolate Factory is responsible for creating some of the world’s finest chocolate bars.