FMCG company installs S1 system from AM Solutions

A Fast-Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) company’s R&D facility in the United Kingdom has invested in its additive manufacturing capabilities with the installation of the S1 automated post-processing system from AM Solutions, a brand of the Rösler Group.

While much of the attention around automated post-processing focuses on production-scale AM, the global-reaching FMCG company is demonstrating that significant value can be unlocked earlier in the development cycle, where rapid prototyping plays a critical role in shaping future products.

“We’re using additive manufacturing to create accurate, high-quality prototypes that support early-stage market research and help bring downstream teams (such as tooling) into the development process much earlier,” said a spokesperson for the company. “But while the printing process was streamlined, post-processing was still a bottleneck. The S1 has completely changed that.”

Prior to investing in the S1, the company relied on manual bead blasting using glass media, a process that consumed approximately four hours per day, required significant operator involvement, and generated dust that made for a less-than-ideal working environment. Beyond being labour-intensive and messy, manual blasting could also introduce variability in finish quality, an important factor when producing parts intended for review by diverse stakeholders.

“It wasn’t just about the time spent each day (though saving 300 hours a year is no small thing), it was also about consistency, safety, and freeing up our team to focus on the more creative, high-value aspects of R&D,” said the spokesperson. “The S1 gives us a fully enclosed, automated process that handles both cleaning and surface finishing in one go, saving space and delivering repeatable results.”

The 2-in-1 functionality of the S1 was a key differentiator in the FMCG company’s supplier evaluation process. Competing systems required two separate machines, one for cleaning and another for surface finishing, placing a greater burden on space and workflow complexity. In a facility where efficient use of floor space is essential, the compact footprint and integrated process of the S1 were decisive advantages. In addition, the 2-in-1 process does not only mean that both processes take place in the same machine, but also simultaneously – in one process step – with only one blasting media, maximizing the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of the process.

“The other solutions we reviewed required more space and didn’t achieve the same finish quality,” said the spokesperson. “The S1 has streamlined our entire process, and because it’s clean and enclosed, it’s improved the overall lab environment as well.”