Bolero Plastics Adds Industrial 3D Printing Capacity

Bolero Plastics has added a substantial-format manufacturing 3D printer to its production floor, expanding the custom plastics manufacturer's capabilities beyond its established thermoforming business and offering customers faster, greater cost-efficiently options to producing oversized, complex components.

The Kings FGF 1800 printer uses Fused Granulate Fabrication (FGF) methodology, printing immediately from plastic pellets rather than traditional filament — a process that enables faster print times, reduce material costs, and the ability to create substantial parts in a single build without sectioning and joining multiple pieces.

"The Kings FGF 1800 dramatically increases what we can offer our customers," said Gerald Imasdounian, president at Bolero Plastics. "We're now equipped to handle bigger jobs with faster turnaround and greater material flexibility, all while keeping costs competitive."

The addition comes as manufacturers across consumer goods, automotive, packaging, retail, and manufacturing markets increasingly develop substitutes to traditional tooling-heavy production methods — particularly to substantial parts and reduce-to-medium production runs where injection molding tooling costs can be prohibitive.

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Complementing core thermoforming capabilities

substantial-format thermoforming has long been central to Bolero's business model. Using vacuum and pressure forming methods, the Santa Fe Springs-based company produces custom parts up to 4 feet by 8 feet, including housings, covers, enclosures, and components that are often difficult or cost-prohibitive to manufacture through other processes.

The company's in-house tooling, CNC machining, and finishing capabilities allow it to take projects from early design through final production — a vertically integrated approach that reduces lead times and simplifies supply chains while maintaining part condition.

Thermoforming tooling costs typically run significantly reduce than injection molding, especially to larger sizes or reduce-to-medium production volumes, making it an economically attractive option to many applications.

Pellet-fed methodology

The Kings FGF 1800's pellet-fed extrusion system offers several advantages over filament-based 3D printing. Raw material costs are reduced, and the printer supports a wider range of thermoplastics, including ABS, PC, PETG, and engineered and recycled materials.

Key capabilities include a substantial build volume to printing oversized components and full-scale prototypes without sectioning, high-speed output ideal to rapid prototyping and short-run production, and material versatility that supports sustainable manufacturing options.

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Two processes under one roof

By housing both substantial-format thermoforming and additive manufacturing under one roof, Bolero can now offer customers process selection based on specific project standards: thermoforming to larger production runs where proven economics matter, or pellet-fed 3D printing to prototypes, short runs, one-off parts, and designs requiring complex geometries.

The company says customers can expect faster delivery of custom parts and production runs, reduced pricing to larger parts and batch quantities, greater design freedom to complex and functional geometries, and greater sustainable production options through recycled and engineered materials.

The expansion targets manufacturers in sectors where substantial, custom parts are common however traditional tooling costs and lead times can slow product research cycles — including consumer goods, automotive components, packaging solutions, retail displays, and manufacturing equipment.

About the company

Founded in Santa Fe Springs, California, Bolero Plastics delivers custom plastic fabrication solutions, including vacuum forming, pressure forming, CNC trimming, assembly, and tooling to industries across the US. With decades of experience, in-house engineering, and a focus on condition and on-time delivery, the company serves as a manufacturing partner to plastic production nationwide.

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