Key figures
-94 %
Part weight
50 000€
logistics savings / year
3 weeks
start to finish
Problem
The hydraulic block had 33 components, complex assembly, and a design built around the limits of traditional manufacturing. Avant Tecno needed to know what additive manufacturing could do instead.
Solution
3DStep and Enmac redesigned the block as a single AlSi10Mg aluminium part with an integrated filter and optimised hose outlets. Weight dropped from 2,910g to 175g. A working prototype was ready three weeks after the first meeting.
Results
Part count fell from 33 to 1. Assembly time and logistics costs dropped with it. The project also changed how Avant Tecno’s designers approach component geometry going forward.
Mirka manufactures surface treatment and precision grinding solutions for customers in more than 100 countries. When the collaboration with 3DStep began in 2017, Mirka needed a partner who could deliver prototypes quickly and produce small metal and polymer batches at a cost that made sense for the volumes involved.
Mirka’s product range spans grinding and polishing products and machines across demanding industrial applications. The recurring constraint in product development was batch size: annual volumes too low for conventional tooling to be cost-effective, combined with development cycles that demanded fast access to physical prototypes.
Batch size drove the switch to additive manufacturing.
The aluminium Y-branch component is where the cost logic became most concrete. At roughly 100 units per year, conventional manufacturing costs were hard to justify. Working with 3DStep and engineering firm Etteplan, Mirka redesigned the component for additive manufacturing and brought unit cost down significantly.
“Batch size is an important factor when choosing a manufacturing method. We need about 100 of these aluminium Y-branch components per year, and additive manufacturing is a good and cost-effective option for this purpose.”
Christian Lindell
Development Engineer, Mirka.
The same reasoning now applies across other parts in the portfolio. When volumes are modest and designs are still evolving, 3D printing gives the team options that conventional methods cannot offer at that scale.
A finish standard that holds across every delivery.
Mirka’s brand standard is “Dedicated to the finish,” and that expectation carries over directly to the parts it orders. Surface finish uniformity and consistent colour across a delivery batch are baseline requirements.
“I find myself ordering more and more from 3DStep because they consistently deliver products with the same colour and finish. It is important for customer deliveries that quality is consistent in terms of external finish and that there are no mismatched units in a delivery,”
Speed compounds the value. A prototype available days earlier means engineering reviews happen sooner and development moves faster. Johan Nyman, Production Implementation Engineer, puts it directly: “In the design process, a difference of a few days in delivery time makes a real difference. 3D printing is easy, cost-effective and fast for us.”
Mirka Oy is a Finland-based manufacturer of surface treatment and precision grinding solutions, part of the family-owned KWH Group. Mirka exports its products to more than 100 countries from production plants in Jepua, Oravais, Karjaa and Pietarsaari. Learn more at www.mirka.com.
