Blog
Notes from the production floor
Practical insight into FDM 3D printing, engineering materials and scalable manufacturing.
9 min readSerienfertigungIndustrieAdditive Series Production: What Industrial Buyers Should Ask For
Anyone can print one good part. Series production is about the two hundredth.
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7 min readKonstruktionToleranzenHanding over design data properly: what a manufacturer actually needs
Most delays in contract manufacturing do not happen at the machine, they happen in the data handover. Four pieces of information prevent almost every query.
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8 min readErsatzteileInstandhaltungRemaking Spare Parts With FDM: From Broken Sample to Repeatable Part
When the line is down, price per part stops being the interesting number.
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7 min readWerkstoffeKostenMetal 3D printing or plastic: when the premium is not worth it
Many metal 3D printing enquiries can be solved with PA12-CF or PC. The cost difference is usually a factor of ten.
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7 min readRapid PrototypingEntwicklungUsing rapid prototyping properly: three rounds instead of ten
Most projects do not need ten prototype rounds. They need three, where each round answers one clear question.
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9 min readFDMCNC3D Printing or CNC Machining: How to Decide Per Part
The decision is rarely about the process. It is about geometry, tolerance and quantity.
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6 min readPCPC FRPolycarbonate in FDM printing: when the difficult material pays off
Polycarbonate has a reputation for being difficult to print, yet more and more industrial customers ask for it. Rightly so, because where temperature and impact resistance count, few filaments come close.
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8 min readVorrichtungenProduktionPrinted Jigs and Fixtures: Where They Pay Off in Production
Tooling is almost always a one-off. That is exactly where printing beats machining.
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6 min readInfillFestigkeitInfill and strength: why 100 percent is rarely the right answer
The first idea for a fragile part is more infill. Measurements and practice show something else: walls carry, fill supports. What that means for your parts.
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9 min readTolerancesFDMFDM Tolerances: What Accuracy You Can Actually Design For
Most fit problems in FDM are not machine problems. They are specification problems.
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6 min readNachbearbeitungOberflächePost-processing FDM parts: from print to visible part
FDM parts come off the machine with visible layers. For many functional parts that does not matter, for visible parts it does. What sanding, fillers and paint can achieve, and where the limits are.
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8 min readTPUMaterialsTPU in FDM Printing: Shore Hardness, Settings and Real Applications
TPU is the only FDM material that behaves like rubber. It is also the easiest to get wrong.
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7 min readProductionKleinserieSmall Batch Production With FDM: What Changes Above 50 Parts
One good print proves nothing about the two hundredth. What makes a batch repeatable.
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6 min readMaterialsASAASA or ABS? What Actually Separates Them
Same temperature class, different lifespan outdoors. When the price difference is worth it.
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8 min readMaterialsFDMWhich Filament for Which Part? A Practical Table
Stop choosing filament by price or colour. Choose it by what the part has to survive.
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6 min readMaterialsPETGIs PETG Food Safe? What Matters With 3D Printed Parts
The polymer is approved. The printed part is a different question. Where the real risks are.
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6 min readMaterialsPETGPETG Temperature Resistance: How Hot Can It Get?
Around 70 degrees unloaded, far less under load. The practical temperature limits of PETG parts.
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6 min readPC FRUL94Flame-retardant 3D printed parts: when UL94 V-0 is required
Anyone ordering a printed electronics enclosure gets asked about UL94 sooner or later. What the ratings mean, when V-0 is actually required, and which filaments meet it.
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7 min readMaterialsPETGPETG or PLA: Which Material Fits Your Part?
PLA is stiffer, PETG survives more. The honest comparison for functional parts, not for display models.
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6 min readMaterialsPA12-CFPA12 Carbon Fiber 3D Printing: When the Material Pays Off
Aluminum-grade stiffness at a fraction of the weight. When PA12-CF justifies the cost, and when it does not.
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5 min readCostFDMWhat Determines the Cost of 3D Printing Service
Machine time, not material weight, sets the price. Here is what moves the cost and how to design parts that print cheaper.
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8 min readProcurementProductionHow to Choose a 3D Printing Service in Germany
Most bad 3D printing orders are not bad prints. They are bad supplier choices. Here is what to check before you send a file, from someone who receives those files every week.
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8 min readFDMInjection Molding3D Printing vs Injection Molding: Which One Should You Choose?
Injection molding wins at scale. 3D printing wins everywhere else. A practical comparison of the two processes and how to pick the right one.
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8 min readMaterialsEngineeringEngineering Material Selection Guide for FDM 3D Printing
The best material is not the strongest one. It is the one that matches the environment, the mechanical requirements and the production goals of the part.
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7 min readFDMDesignWall Thickness Guidelines for FDM Parts
Getting wall thickness wrong leads to weak walls and failed parts. Here is how to choose the right shell thickness for strength, speed, and reliability in FDM printing.
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8 min readMaterialsPCPC vs Nylon vs Nylon CF: Which Filament Should You Actually Use?
Moving beyond PLA means choosing between PC, Nylon and CF-Nylon. Each has real trade-offs in strength, heat resistance, printability and cost. Here is what to pick and why.
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7 min readMaterialsUV ResistanceSun vs. Plastic: Which One Wins
Most 3D prints look perfect off the printer - until summer hits. Why UV light destroys plastic and which filament actually survives outdoors.
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6 min readFDMProductionWhy Larger FDM Orders Fail (And How to Avoid It)
FDM forgives at low volumes and punishes at high ones. Why scaling FDM is a process problem, not a printer problem.
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