Cresco company is now offering a new service to area customers--a 3D printer

(Left to right) Alex Fortune and Scott Fortune stand beside the new state-of-the-art 3D printer they purchased for Upper Iowa Tool & Die.

Any company which produces a tangible product to sell to their customers can benefit from using a 3D printing service--from the medical sector, to manufacturing and agricultural sectors.

So a Cresco tool and die company, Upper Iowa Tool & Die, has purchased a state-of-the-art 3D printer and has begun selling its services to customers who need a rapid prototype or small batch production.

Owner Scott Fortune says, for instance, a farm implement dealer he spoke with told him the federal government states how long suppliers need to have replacement parts available for machinery they've sold--but, ironically, the farm equipment factory often stops producing these parts before the deadline, which places the dealer in a tough spot.  The 3D printer is perfect in such situations.

A new service in the area, 3D printing provides many advantages to companies in the manufacturing industry. "From the standpoint of manufacturing, 3D printing is in its infancy stage," says Scott. "Once a company utilizes 3D printing and understands the benefits to their company, they use the technology more and more. The larger companies have invested in 3D printers for their internal use. At the present time, however, there are a handful of companies such as ours providing 3D printing as a service to firms that may otherwise not be able to justify the expenditure."

Upper Iowa Tool & Die plans to host an open house to showcase the new 3D printer in May.  In the meantime, Scott and Alex Fortune can be contacted at Upper Iowa Tool & Die at (563) 547-2220 or by emailing scott.fortune@upperiowatoolanddie.com or alex.fortune@upperiowatoolanddie.com.