Real Estate Journal — Owners, Developers & Managers — July 25 - August 14, 2014 — 7B
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Window manufacturer and subsidiary use technology to great advantage Crystal Window & Door Systems expands 3-D printing use
F LUSHING, NY — For the past three years, award-winning national manufacturer Crystal Win- dow & Door Systems based in Queens, NY, has very suc- cessfully used 3-D printing technology in its product design and development efforts. The technology has proved so ad- vantageous that the company is planning the acquisition of additional 3-D printing equip- ment and has expanded its use to its aluminum extrusion subsidiary, Crystal Extrusions, in Union, MO. “Over the past few years, Crystal has really embraced 3-D printing in our product de- velopment efforts for its many advantages,” said Steve Chen , Crystal’s chief operating officer. “The technology significantly speeds the design process for our new window profiles, com- ponents and accessories, and allows us to get everything exactly right before purchas- ing expensive new tooling and moving into mass production. “Recent press articles on 3-D printing often portray it as a novel new technology,” con- tinued Chen. “But while other window manufacturers and industries may just be discover- ing the benefits of 3-D printing, Crystal made the initial invest- ment three years ago and has been using it extensively since then to transform our engi- neering and design processes. It’s been so successful in fact, I’ve expanded its use to our Missouri aluminum extrusion subsidiary and we’re planning a next generation printer for Crystal here in Queens.” Vincent Grieco , regional sales and technical manager for Crystal, knows the advantages it offers Crystal’s sales and business development efforts. “Our 3-D printing technology’s rapid prototyping gives us the capability to develop custom window frames, flanges, and installation accessory items such as panning andmullions,” said Grieco. “It’s a wonderful way for architects and speci- fiers to visualize components before they finalize designs, and it allows us to meet the needs of building owners and contractors very quickly and cost-effectively.” Crystal’s current 3-D printer by Stratasys uses Fused De- position Modeling (FDM) for building the plastic three- dimensional models. Driven by Inventor 3-D Modeling
Software, from the maker of AutoCAD (design drawing soft- ware which is widely used by architectural, construction and manufacturing industries), the printer operates directly from electronic file design drawings developed inAutoCAD (or other similar software) to generate the window component 3-D models. The printer extrudes ultra-thin 0.005 mm melted plastic thread material layer upon layer to build an object progressively. The maximum overall size of a model created withCrystal’s current printer is continued on page 14B
3-D printed plastic models
3-D Printer
LLC, has leased approximately half the building to AT&TWire- lesswith thebalance of the space currently available for lease. The brick and glass retail building fronts on York Rd., with more than 35,000 vehicles passing the site on a daily basis. The daytime population within three miles from the building exceeds 40,000. “The contemporary archi- tecture of this building design, featuring high glass windows and enlarged areas for tenant
LUTHERVILLE, MD — The Mullan Contracting has completed construction ac- tivities on York Market Place, a 7,800 s/f free-standing building situated at 1801 York Rd. near the intersection of York Rd. and Ridgely Rd. in the Lutherville/ Timonium section of Baltimore County. The owner, 1801 YR,
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