Bastian Solutions, a leading materials handling company owned by Toyota Advanced Logistics, was faced with the challenge of meeting the high expectations of today's shoppers for on-demand fulfillment. Retailers require innovative materials handling systems that can navigate tight warehouse and shelving spaces to fill orders quickly. They also need picking technologies that can handle a wide variety of product shapes, sizes, and densities without having to invest additional capital in multiple custom grippers for the picking arms. To address these complex set of problems, Bastian Solutions set out to engineer an improved solution. This effort resulted in the Bastian Solutions Shuttle System, an advanced, customizable electrical robot arm-and-shuttle combo that autonomously picks and moves a range of differently sized and weighted products. However, creating a new disruptive materials handler like the Bastian Solutions Shuttle System required Bastian Solutions to use a disruptive method—additive manufacturing. But without on-site 3D printing capabilities, Bastian Solutions sought out a partner that could help make their vision a reality.

Husqvarna Group, a leading producer of outdoor power products, was looking to evolve with shifting technology and customer demands. They were interested in exploring how 3D printing and additive manufacturing could drive impact for their business. The challenge was to identify parts that could be made more efficiently and sustainably through additive manufacturing, driving a reduced carbon footprint, improved customer experience, and lower costs. The parts needed to be produced at production scale and quality, and they needed to pass rigorous testing and certification for production and sale.

Cobalt Robotics is a company that produces security robots designed to augment human security efforts rather than replace them. The robots are designed to be approachable and warm, making people feel comfortable interacting with them. This necessitated special attention to the cosmetic components of the robots, which are the external parts that humans will see and interact with. Cobalt needed these cosmetic parts to be made exactly to their design specifications. Prior to working with Fast Radius, Cobalt struggled to find a cost-effective supplier that could deliver on the exact specifications of the product.

Coapt, a Chicago-based company that produces myoelectric pattern recognition systems for upper limb prostheses, was looking to produce the second generation of their product, COMPLETE CONTROL. This required not only retooling the system’s software, but redesigning the hardware components as well. They needed a manufacturing partner that could move quickly to meet their product release timeline. They also wanted to test and make many parts differently in the next wave of COMPLETE CONTROL, including the geometries, textures, and aesthetics of the parts. With so many variables to consider, it didn’t make sense for Coapt’s engineering team to prototype using legacy processes like injection molding.

Rawlings, a company with over 150 years of experience in the baseball industry, aimed to revolutionize the baseball glove by developing the REV1X. The glove leverages the Carbon Digital Light Synthesis (DLS) process to improve gameplay and speed up reaction times. The traditional foam or wool parts in the glove’s thumb and pinky were replaced with latticed pieces, made from FPU 50, that are lighter and thinner. The REV1X lattices are tuned with variable stiffness that better conforms to the player’s hand, leading to better control of the ball. Additionally, the REV1X is ready for gameplay immediately, and it’s more durable and long-lasting than traditional gloves. Once Rawlings perfected the design for the REV1X, they needed to mass produce a glove that would meet their exacting standards for performance and durability on the field.