This decision reflects the market-leading company’s commitment to innovation and efficiency at all stages of product development, and highlights the growing role of automated post-processing technologies even in prototyping environments.

(1st September 2025, Knowsley, United Kingdom) A Fast-Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) company's R&D facility in the United Kingdom has made a strategic investment in its additive manufacturing (AM) capabilities with the installation of the S1 automated post-processing system from AM Solutions - 3D post processing technology, a brand of the Rösler Group. This decision reflects the market-leading company's commitment to innovation and efficiency at all stages of product development, and highlights the growing role of automated post-processing technologies even in prototyping environments.

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. According to a spokesperson for the company, the S1 system has made a dramatic difference to day-to-day operations in the lab.

"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," the spokesperson explains. "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," the spokesperson says. "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."

Indeed, 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 maximising the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of the process.

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

Just as important as the machine itself was the support provided by AM Solutions. Known for their profound expertise in finishing technologies, the AM Solutions team worked closely with the FMCG company to fine-tune the process parameters, selecting the ideal combination of media and compound to ensure consistent, high-quality results with the S1.

"What really set AM Solutions apart was their knowledge and willingness to engage with our specific needs," the spokesperson says. "They didn't just sell us a machine, they helped us build a finishing solution that works for our parts, our materials, and our workflow. That kind of expertise is rare."

As the FMCG company continues to push innovation in packaging and product design, the ability to iterate faster and with greater confidence is a game-changer. The S1 system has enabled the R&D team to produce better-looking, more reliable prototypes in less time, helping to accelerate decision-making and increase cross-functional collaboration across the product lifecycle.
For AM Solutions, the FMCG company's investment is further validation that automated post-processing is not just for production, it's essential wherever quality, efficiency, and repeatability matter.

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