How Weather Shield Reinvented Window Manufacturing with Industrial 3D Printing

Weather Shield, a family-owned business based in Medford, Wisconsin, has been crafting high-performance windows and doors for nearly 75 years. Serving luxury homes valued from $2 million to over $50 million, their products are engineered to withstand extreme conditions — from hurricane-force winds to desert heat.

But what truly sets them apart? Their bold embrace of industrial 3D printing.

Hear directly from Weather Shield on how Stratasys technology transformed their production process. 

Accelerating Innovation: From Prototype to Production in Hours

Traditional tooling methods meant waiting 6 to 20 weeks for a single part. With additive manufacturing, Weather Shield can go from design to finished part in as little as two hours. 

This speed has been a game-changer — enabling rapid iteration, faster time-to-market, and significant tooling cost savings. 

Industrial 3D Printing for Hurricane-Tested Window Components

Weather Shield uses Stratasys P3™ DLP technology to produce 30,000 to 40,000 parts annually — not just for prototyping, but for real-world installation in their premium window and door products.

These parts, printed in Loctite®3D 3843, are:

• Built to endure: Tested in environments ranging from 30°F nights to 145°F daytime surface temperatures.
• Engineered for precision: Tight tolerances and high-end finishes meet the demands of elite architecture.
• Customized and traceable: Each part includes a printed part number for seamless inventory and reordering.

Real-World Results: Cost Savings and Performance

Weather Shield’s use of industrial-grade 3D printing delivers measurable business benefits: 

• Massive tooling cost savings: Avoiding millions in tooling costs across 91 unique parts  

• Faster time to market: Rapid iteration and production without waiting on external suppliers  

• Operational agility: On-demand part production with serialized tracking for inventory management  

• Design freedom: Complex geometries that traditional manufacturing couldn’t achieve 

Whether it’s a pivot door end cap or a water-sealing component, Weather Shield relies on 3D printed parts to meet strict certification standards and deliver flawless performance in the field.