A Buffalo stalwart in the manufacturing business, Staub Inc., adds 3D printing to the mix with its eye on the future of its industry. Staub routinely produces over 100,000 parts weekly. With that kind of production line in use already taking advantage of the most modern technology, Staub founder Tony Staub understands the need to incorporate 3D printing. By integrating 3D printed parts into the production process, the company can present prototypes to potential customers and it can do its own tinkering before costly traditional manufacturing.
Staub has a history of backing cutting edge technology. While on the production floor, he pointed out a machine that produces non-stop, a technology he promoted in the early 90s. The company understands the direction manufacturing, from industrial to medical as Staub produces, has begun to take. “Everybody needs 3D printed parts,” Tony said. “And if they don’t need them they’re going to need them.”
The new process involving 3D printing has created a new and more effective business model. Staub explained part of the process that has become cost and time effective. “So if we can build a prototype, we can show a customer what his part is going to look like,” he said. “It’s more likely we have a shot at doing the production.”
Using high-end 3D printers and adapting to this new strategy promises to be a boon for Staub. There is a calm in Tony Staub’s demeanor coupled with a confidence one has when the chosen path appears to be gilded. 3D printing is a part of manufacturing, an integral part, and Staub Inc., like some companies before it and many more to come, recognizes and embraces what the future holds.
