Haddington Dynamics 3D prints the majority of its Dexter robot arm, reducing the number of parts from 800 to less than 70.
Dexter manufacturer Haddington Dynamics supplies its 7-axis fully assembled robotic arms and kits to NASA, GoogleX, and Toshiba. After using the arm, a high-profile customer suggested they move away from using weak PLA material and instead utilize Markforged’s Onyx material with continuous carbon fiber reinforcement to achieve the strength they desired. This was enough for Haddington Dynamics to purchase four Markforged printers. Inventor of Dexter, Kent Gilson said “within about three weeks of receiving our printers, we had completely redesigned the robot with the carbon fiber layup and saved all kinds of volume.” Dexter is now almost completely made from Markforged 3D printed parts, which has saved the company 58% in costs.
Haddington Dynamics’ customers receive custom swappable 3D printed gripper fingers with each robotic kit. Dexter’s modular end effectors are capable of pick and placing, gripping, 3D printing, and even working with CNC machines. Due to the reduced manufacturing time and cost, Haddington Dynamics is able to pay off a Markforged printer with the production of a single Dexter robot. “You recover your ROI in a single output, which changes the manufacturing model,” said Todd Enerson, CEO at Haddington Dynamics.
Consolidated Assembly: Continuous carbon fiber reinforced plastic allows for strong, complex parts, reducing the number of pieces needed in assemblies across the production cycle.
Tolerance Accuracy: Markforged’s cloud software ensures parts come off the build plate with an accurate size and structure, leaving no surprises.
Professional Surface Finish: Haddington Dynamics can take a Dexter straight off the printer and ship it to their end-customer without any post-processing
