Industrial Pump Cutaway Trade Show Display
When Zoeller Pump Company needed a large-format trade show display that could explain a complex wastewater pumping system at a glance, Cru Bear transformed confidential engineering CAD data into a durable, full-color 3D printed cutaway model. The finished display had to do more than look impressive: it needed to reveal the internal pump, guide-rail system, basin geometry, and operating relationships clearly enough for sales conversations, customer demonstrations, and technical training.
Zoeller Pump Company has manufactured dependable wastewater and sewage pumping equipment in Louisville, Kentucky, for generations. For this project, the challenge was to respect the accuracy of the original mechanical system while translating it into a display that a trade show visitor could understand in seconds. That required careful decisions about scale, color, visibility, assembly, transportation, and repeated handling—without losing the engineering story that made the model valuable.
Engineering the Cutaway
The source files were production engineering assemblies—not simplified presentation models and not geometry prepared for additive manufacturing. Cru Bear rebuilt and reorganized the system in Autodesk Fusion, identifying which surfaces had to remain dimensionally faithful and which could be adapted for printing, finishing, and display. A large cutaway window was engineered into the basin so viewers could see the pump, guide rails, discharge path, and surrounding structure while the model still read as a complete industrial product.
Designed for Manufacturing
A model at this scale cannot simply be sent to a printer. Major parts were divided into manageable assemblies, connection points were reinforced, wall thicknesses were tuned for durability, and alignment features were designed so the finished pieces would register cleanly. Print orientation was planned around visible surfaces, structural loads, support reduction, and finishing access. Components that needed extra strength were made solid or internally reinforced, while lower-stress areas were kept light enough for transport.
Prototype prints and fit checks were used throughout development to validate tolerances before committing to the final large-format parts. Each revision answered a practical question: Would the sections align? Would the cutaway remain rigid? Could the guide rails be installed without damage? Would the display survive repeated setup, packing, and customer interaction? This iterative process reduced risk and produced an assembly that looks intentional from every viewing angle.
Project Highlights
- Custom industrial pump cutaway display
- Built from confidential engineering CAD data
- Reworked for 3D printing in Autodesk Fusion
- Cutaway viewing window engineered into the basin
- Printed, finished, and assembled in-house
Project Specifications
Specifications
- Client – Zoeller Pump Company, Louisville, KY
- Source – Confidential engineering CAD data
- Software – Reworked in Autodesk Fusion
- Build – Large-format cutaway, multi-part printable assemblies
- Components – Green pump, silver guide rails, and basin
- Cutaway – Viewing window designed into the basin
- Production – Printed and finished in-house
- Purpose – Trade shows, sales demonstrations, and customer education
Manufactured In-House
Every part of this project was completed in-house — from CAD engineering and print preparation to production, finishing, and final assembly.
Keeping CAD engineering, print preparation, production, finishing, and final assembly under one roof made continuous refinement possible. The team could compare digital geometry with physical parts, adjust fit where necessary, and maintain a consistent finish across the full display. The completed cutaway turns dense engineering data into an approachable physical story: visitors can immediately see how the pump, basin, guide rails, and internal components work together, while the manufacturer gains a reusable sales and training asset built for real-world handling.
Custom 3D Printing in Louisville KY
If you’ve got a file or an idea like this, we can print it.
Cru Bear provides custom 3D printing, CAD preparation, large-format fabrication, finishing, and assembly for businesses in Louisville, Kentucky, Southern Indiana, and beyond. Whether your starting point is production CAD, a concept model, or an idea that has never been manufactured, we can help develop a display-ready solution for trade shows, sales demonstrations, museums, classrooms, product launches, and technical training.
