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Written By: John Nanry, co-founder and chief manufacturing officer, Fast Radius

Imagine what you could accomplish without the constraints of manufacturing conventions.

The rigid processes of traditional manufacturing can be frustrating for engineers and suppress good ideas. Partnerships should be empowering and built from an understanding that innovation comes from exploration. To take steps forward in manufacturing, engineers should have the freedom to follow exciting ideas—with manufacturers on board to figure out the “how.”

You may not be able to find a manufacturer willing or able to make your part through typical processes. But in 2021, we have the technology to defy limiting mindsets. Those that say “yes” to challenges are the ones driving our industry—and our world—ahead. SiO2 Materials Science, for instance, found ways to kick glass vial production into hyper speed and make mass vaccination a reality. Similarly, SendCutSend uses software and on-demand manufacturing to make metal fabrication more accessible than ever. Across industries, it is clear that the innovators of our world share a growth-oriented mindset.

The process of a yes-first approach may be more complicated, but the end result is transformative. At Fast Radius, our “yes” philosophy looks different in every customer relationship. But for each customer, it means focusing on what is possible rather than shutting doors. From cutting-edge drones to frontline face shields, here are three examples of “yes” in action.

Digital Aerolus: Innovation Taking Flight

Leading with “yes” can turn transactional relationships into true partnerships. We have seen this evolution frequently at Fast Radius, with open-minded clients expanding our collaboration into new territory. Digital Aerolus came to us for two 3D-printed parts for their Aertos 120, an autonomous industrial drone that operates in confined spaces. Close-quarter operations require precise production, and we worked with them to identify a higher-performing manufacturing method (HP Multi Jet Fusion) and material (PA 12GB). Our mutual embrace of “yes” opened the door for a long-term strategic partnership.

After success with the Aertos 120, Digital Aerolus asked us to make parts for a new drone, the 130IR. Because of our strong relationship and mutual trust, we could take on a more consultative role, proactively suggesting entirely new processes and materials that led to a better product. While the project became a larger undertaking involving four manufacturing processes and 15 materials, working together allowed us to make their innovative vision a reality.

Now, we are making 95 percent of the plastic and metal part BOM for the ground control unit on their latest drone, and our partnership is expanding to newer platform models. Rather than keeping a surface-level relationship that ended with two parts, saying yes benefitted both Digital Aerolus and Fast Radius—making new things possible through smarter technology, new materials and open minds.

Face Shields: Defending the Frontline

When a crisis hits, traditional processes go out the window. As we’ve seen over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, companies such as SiO2 Materials Science that are nimble, agile and willing to respond quickly can make a big impact.

When the pandemic took hold, the demand for protective equipment spiked and existing suppliers couldn’t keep up. We were not already producing safety equipment, but when we saw the opportunity to meet an urgent need, our response was clear: “Yes.” Assessing our capabilities and global demands, our team recognized face shields as a product we could build quickly to help protect essential workers.

We started production using additive manufacturing techniques, but quickly identified that we could work faster and more efficiently using injection molding. We adapted the additive design to function for injection molding and we stood up tooling. Ongoing additive production helped us avoid disruptions and bridge the gap while we got the injection molding tool up and running. In the end, this switch dropped manufacturing costs and enabled us to manufacture eight times the number of shields per day.

Our approach allowed us to pivot quickly, completing the entire design and prototyping process for the injection molding tool in three days. This “yes”-fueled speed has paid dividends, helping protect tens of thousands of frontline workers with affordable face shields. The pandemic has put manufacturers to the test, but those that focus on careful listening, quick responses and agile production demonstrate “yes” in action.

Colgate: Fixing the Factory Floor

Colgate’s bottle accumulator is a simple machine, but malfunctions created an outsized effect on production. The machine has a rigid plastic part meant to hook a small ridge on each bottle, then lift them and move them onto the line. But the machine frequently missed, dropping bottles onto the factory floor and backing up production. The company came to Fast Radius for an innovative solution to its bottling bottleneck.

In this instance, embracing a challenge meant working from scratch to create a fix for the faulty part and reduce production delays. Using two additive manufacturing processes and two different materials, we created a two-component gripper design that could move bottles without dropping them. Nimble additive manufacturing meant we could test prototypes along the way in real factory conditions, encouraging innovation through iteration.

This partnership not only solved Colgate’s immediate need, but it also unlocked an improvement: the new gripper can move multiple bottle sizes without needing to be swapped out. Both Colgate and Fast Radius saying yes helped us forge a new partnership that centered exploration and welcomed trial and error—two key elements of a growth mindset.

The Long-Term Impact of “Yes”

These case studies aren’t just Fast Radius success stories. They represent the power of creative collaboration in manufacturing, where tried-and-true tradition is often favored over trial-and-error innovation.

Engineers and manufacturers owe it to future generations to build not just better products, but better processes. Saying yes is the first step toward reaching a new era of manufacturing, fusing old and new technology to build a smarter, faster and more sustainable industry.

Learn more about Fast Radius and why our team is focused on “yes” at fastradius.com/yes.