The adoption of 3D printing as a tool has not always been an easy transition for manufacturing businesses. In this MatterHackers additive manufacturing segment, we chronicle a visit that Dave recently made to Fabcon Corporation, a local contract manufacturing business that is fully embracing the power of 3D printing.

Bert Ohlig, founder of Fabcon in Santa Ana, California, has an incredible shop with a huge number of resources at his disposal; sheet metal fabrication, a machine shop, welding capabilities and even laser cutting to produce high-quality products for their various contracts. But even with this arsenal of equipment at his command, Bert chose to move forward with 3D printing as a viable solution to some of their production tasks.

Several 3D Printed Prototypes
Several 3D Printed Prototypes

"I was curious about 3D printing, but I didn't know how to get started. MatterHackers introduced me to the MAKEiT (PRO L); it has a large format, wonderful quality, and has been very reliable. MatterHackers is a great source of knowledge and training; and I really love the meet ups and the videos, and what they have done for the 3D printing community and the Maker community."

Bert and Dave discussing 3D printing.
Bert and Dave discussing 3D printing.

When Bert is faced with a problem, his first solution is 3D printing. For him, it is a versatile and powerful tool that can give he and his team insights to issues that they did not have access to before. His company uses 3D printing for everything; conceptual design, prototyping, production, tooling and everything in between. The turn around time on prototypes, the ability to make changes on the fly to designs, and the lower cost of prototyping make 3D printing an invaluable tool.

The MAKEiT PRO L fabricating a prototype
The MAKEiT PRO L fabricating a prototype

"Now, I'm an evangelist for 3D printing in our company - I've been able to touch most of the people in company and let them know that this is the future, and they should be part of it."

A 3D-printed jig used on a machining tool
A 3D-printed jig used on a machining tool

Bert sees his view of 3D printing like a game of Jeopardy; the answer is 3D printing - they get to define the question. Whether the question is development, production or creative, it is a remarkable tool!

For more information on Bert and Fabcon, Inc., please visit their website at https://www.fabcon.com.

We hope you enjoyed this segment on additive manufacturing and prototyping! If you know of another business that is using 3D printing and think they would like to be featured in an upcoming article, please email chris.morgan@matterhackers.com with your suggestion!