A company from the beauty industry was looking for a solution for its compression therapy application. "We weren't looking for a particularly large batch size, but we wanted to bring our product idea to market quickly. A standard product was out of the question due to the special customer-specific requirements," reports Patrick Inhetveen, Senior Engineer R&D Mechanics Life Sciences. This is precisely where 3D printing comes into its own.

Additive manufacturing - or 3D printing - refers to a process in which a component is built up on the basis of digital 3D design data by applying material layer by layer. This enables complex geometries and the possibility of functional integration in a small space. Instead of milling a workpiece from a solid block, for example, additive manufacturing builds up components layer by layer from metal or plastic powder. It also eliminates the high investment costs for tools, which make it difficult to implement innovative ideas, especially for small batches. At the same time, 3D printing enables a design-controlled manufacturing process. When working out an innovative new development, creativity determines the design and not the manufacturing process.

More customized products from the printer

"We want to solve our customers' problems - and that also means responding quickly to their wishes," says Inhetveen. "With additively manufactured products, we can do just that." In addition, the costs for reworking prototypes are reduced, there are almost no changeover times and, in some cases, components can be created from different materials than would be possible with conventional manufacturing.

"Especially when it comes to customer-specific requirements that call for tailor-made solutions, it naturally helps to be able to hold the newly designed product in your hands as quickly as possible," says the expert. Thanks to its design freedom, additive manufacturing also enables the use of bionic geometries. In the pneumatics industry in particular, where the shape of the air ducts is important for efficiency, it makes a big difference whether these ducts are printed in a streamlined shape or manufactured in the traditional way. "Some shapes simply cannot be produced with a milling machine, and the possibilities for integrating functions are almost unlimited," explains Inhetveen. as