Cosmetics machinery: custom small batches, no molds
A cosmetics machinery manufacturer needed custom components in small quantities: a mold made no sense. We designed the parts and, thanks to 3D printing, slashed the start-up costs. Now it orders small batches on demand.
Anonymized at the customer's request
The problem: small quantities, unsustainable mold
Our customer produces machinery for the cosmetics sector — devices such as infrared and LED handpieces for face and body treatments. Technical, niche products, made in limited quantities.
For components like the handpiece casings, the quantities involved were small. In this situation building an industrial mold made no sense: start-up costs would have been disproportionate to the number of pieces, and any design change would have required remaking the tooling from scratch.
The solution: design and additive production
We designed the components for the customer and made them with additive 3D printing, in white ABS. No mold means no upfront tooling investment: start-up costs drop drastically and the product can reach physical form even in pre-series, to validate the design before scaling.
Casing design
We designed the handpiece casings for the customer — body and face — built to house the infrared and LED modules. The design is tailored to the device.
Printing in white ABS
White ABS offers toughness and a finish suited to a professional device. The body handpiece weighs 100 g, the face one 60 g.
Reorders on demand
Without a mold, the customer can order small batches when needed, with simple reorders, and update the design without remaking tooling.
Start-up costs slashed
Thanks to 3D printing there was no industrial mold to build, and therefore no upfront tooling investment. The customer moved from development to the product's physical form quickly, and today can order small batches on demand with simple reorders.
Customer impact
- Start-up costs slashed: no industrial mold required.
- Components designed to fit the device.
- Ability to order small batches on demand, with simple reorders.
- Design updatable without remaking tooling: ideal for pre-series and validation.
For those developing devices, bringing an idea to physical form without a mold means slashing start-up costs and staying free to improve the product with each batch.
Frequently asked questions about this case study
Is 3D printing suitable for pre-series and product validation?
Yes, it's one of the best uses. It lets you have real components without a mold, validate the design in the field and make corrections before scaling production, without scrapping expensive tooling at every change.
Can I start with few pieces and increase later?
Of course. Without a mold there are no rigid minimums: you can start with just a few pieces and reorder on demand, scaling quantities as the product grows.
Do you design the components or must I provide the model?
We can do both. In this case we designed the casings ourselves, tailored to the device, but we also work on customer-supplied models, optimizing them for printing.
Developing a device and need components in small runs?
We design and produce them, with no molds and with reorders when you need them. Tell us about your project.