Today, our internet connection is constant, whether through phones, cars, refrigerators, and many other devices, making it easy to forget the complexity and advanced innovation required for real-time global connectivity.
The Rosenberger Group, one of the world's major players in this industry, is among the manufacturers that make such connectivity possible. Since 1958, the company has produced high-frequency, fiber optic, and high-voltage connectivity solutions that are crucial for driving global communication networks.
To maintain success in a constantly evolving industry (and to be one of the key drivers of that change), Rosenberger needs to constantly keep up with new technologies from other manufacturers, including 3D printing. The company has integrated additive manufacturing into its processes for several years and has been collaborating with Formlabs since 2017.
Currently, Manuel Kapsreiter, Equipment Designer, oversees the company's Formlabs 3D printers, which include seven Form Series stereolithography (SLA) 3D printers and three Fuse Series Selective Laser Sintering (SLS) 3D printers. Kapsreiter spoke with us about how Rosenberger uses SLA and SLS technologies at every stage of production, from early design iterations to end-use production and manufacturing aids.
Overcoming Initial Skepticism
The Form 3+ 3D printer is used at Rosenberger almost constantly to produce tools, prototypes, replacement parts, and manufacturing aids.
While 3D printing technology is now widely accepted and used across many departments and functions within Rosenberger, Kapsreiter initially had to overcome employee skepticism when introducing the technology. Most employees were only familiar with Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) 3D printing and viewed it as having low accuracy, rough surfaces, and anisotropic mechanical properties.
To gain employee acceptance, Kapsreiter began by showcasing parts printed with SLA, demonstrating smooth surfaces and machining-grade tolerances.
"Many people associate 3D printing with FDM, which makes them less open to the technology. We had to make everyone understand that SLA and SLS cannot be compared to FDM... If you want a high-quality surface finish, SLA is an excellent choice. When using the right material and correctly orienting the part in PreForm, SLA-printed parts can achieve a quality comparable to injection molding."
— Kapsreiter stated.
The quality of SLA and SLS 3D printers was sufficient to prove the effectiveness of the technology. Today, Rosenberger's 3D printers operate continuously to fulfill requests from all departments within the company. Kapsreiter produces parts for prototypes, tools, replacement parts, as well as manufacturing and assembly aids.
"Our colleagues, and the industry as a whole, are starting to realize that we can develop solutions faster and with more agility using 3D printing compared to traditional machining."
Manuel Kapsreiter
Equipment Designer, Rosenberger
Replacement Parts and Improvements for Industrial Production Lines
Rosenberger uses two SLS Fuse 1+ 30W 3D printers to produce on-demand replacement parts for factory machinery. Previously, these parts were milled, but now they can be produced up to 80% faster using SLS 3D printing.
Rosenberger's diverse product range requires many types of machinery, and maintaining these machines to ensure continuous operation is a challenge for the Manufacturing Operations Team. Naturally, replacement parts are time-sensitive. If one machine stops working, the production process halts, and the longer the production line is down, the greater the impact on the company's bottom line.
In the past, Rosenberger relied on on-demand replacement parts produced by CNC Milling. However, as material science has advanced and 3D printers have become faster and more efficient, using 3D printing for rapid replacement part production has become both more efficient and cost-effective.
"Compared to milling, we can produce parts up to 80% faster with 3D printing and can meet demand overnight."
Manuel Kapsreiter
Equipment Designer, Rosenberger
Increase Productivity with Custom Manufacturing Aids
As employees became more familiar with and understood the potential of in-house 3D printing, the Form 3 Series and Fuse Series printers were no longer used only for damaged parts.
Recently, production staff noticed that water was not flowing optimally through an industrial washer and consulted the Toolmaking Team to design a solution. SLA 3D printing, combined with Formlabs' diverse material library, allowed the team to quickly refine and test designs, precisely adjusting the angle of apertures within the washer to more effectively guide water through a ball-like component.
After installing the part, the washer's efficiency immediately improved, reducing both energy consumption and water usage.
Once the part was designed, refined, and tested, Kapsreiter moved to production, printing this part for all of the company's industrial washers to maximize cost savings and factory productivity.
Due to its complex geometry and relatively low volume (only 40 pieces were needed), this part was not suitable for injection molding and would have been difficult to produce by turning or milling. Therefore, on-demand 3D printing was the most suitable production method for this part going forward.
"This ball is hollow inside, with openings in all directions and at all angles. This is a geometry that cannot be produced by any other method. Without 3D printing, production would be more time-consuming, more complex, and the results would not be as good."
Manuel Kapsreiter
Equipment Designer, Rosenberger
Small improvements like these, often suggested by technicians working on the factory floor, can make a significant difference to a company's operations and production efficiency.
Without additive manufacturing, designers would have to use complex casting processes or produce multiple parts by milling before assembling them in a subsequent step, which is a time-consuming and labor-intensive process.
Today, the team can bypass these costly steps. With the Form 3+ printer, production is faster, more cost-effective, and reduces manual labor because the transparent sphere can be printed as a single piece.
The team uses CNC Milling only for final drilling, which is easily done because Clear Resin has high toughness, rigidity, and strength.
By reducing the use of milling, casting, and lathing, Rosenberger not only reduces production costs and lead times but also optimizes the use of traditional machinery.
Kapsreiter explains that every process that switches to 3D printing helps to "save capacity on expensive machines, which can then be used for specialized tasks not suitable for 3D printing, thereby maximizing the utilization of existing machinery."
Rosenberger's Tooling Department uses the Form 3+ to print parts with complex geometries, such as the Wash Ball produced with Clear Resin, which would be difficult and costly to produce using traditional methods.
"The production employee who came up with the idea for the Wash Ball is very satisfied with the results. He has already started several other projects because he sees the potential to improve tasks with 3D printed parts."
— Manuel Kapsreiter
Innovative ideas like these are what Rosenberger's Additive Manufacturing team strives to foster throughout the organization.
Educating employees about 3D printing helps them identify inefficiencies in their own workflows and propose solutions, allowing the company to continuously save resources, reduce waste, and improve efficiency across all departments.
Increase Throughput with Cost-Effective Continuous 3D Printing
The large build volume and high throughput of the Fuse 1+ 30W allow Rosenberger to produce large quantities of SLS parts at low cost, such as clips printed with Nylon 12 Powder for use in the washing line.
While both SLA and SLS 3D printing can greatly benefit the production of manufacturing aids, SLS 3D printing particularly excels in high-volume part production.
In one cleaning process, Rosenberger employees noticed that the washing system could only clean small quantities at a time, despite having sufficient capacity for more. They designed a carrier system that allowed multiple workpieces, placed on stainless steel plates, to be immersed simultaneously in an ultrasonic bath.
Kapsreiter's team designed and printed 8,500 clips with Nylon 12 Powder to secure these stainless steel plates.
"Our Fuse 1+ 30W ran continuously for five weeks," Kapsreiter said.
With high-throughput SLS 3D printing, the team was able to significantly improve the efficiency of the entire process.
Especially when used with the Fuse Sift, the Fuse 1+ 30W can handle high-volume production with low labor and low cost per part.
The 7.5-liter build chamber of the Fuse 1+ 30W can accommodate multiple parts for simultaneous printing. Since SLS printing does not require support structures, it saves material and reduces additional manual finishing steps.
Rosenberger's Tooling Department uses the Fuse Sift to separate unsintered powder from printed parts, with approximately 60% of the powder being recyclable.
Recently, the team also started using an automated sandblasting system, similar in operation to Formlabs' new Fuse Blast, which can automatically clean large quantities of parts in a closed process, further accelerating high-volume part production.
Accelerating Innovation
Before adopting 3D printing, Rosenberger relied on injection molding services for prototypes and production parts. This was a time-consuming process, and due to high costs and long lead times, employees were often hesitant to try new ideas and generally avoided requesting multiple iterations of prototypes or small batches of test parts.
When the Tooling Department increased its 3D printing capabilities, employees from all teams could turn their ideas into tangible parts without worrying about potential costs.
The Form Series and Fuse Series 3D printers can produce models and test parts quickly and cost-effectively for all applications, also allowing customers to track and review their projects at every stage of development.
"In the past, tools for prototypes were created to produce small quantities of parts by injection molding. 3D printing eliminates the need for expensive metal molds, making prototyping significantly cheaper. The great thing is that we can now produce prototype parts with 3D printing that might not have been produced at all in the past. This allows us to show customers the progress of development, not just on a computer screen, but as a physical part. You can view the CAD model and simulate its function, but holding the actual part in your hand and testing it in a real environment provides a completely different experience."
Kapsreiter explained.
"The most significant advantage of 3D printing is its accessibility. The ability to quickly and cost-effectively obtain physical parts significantly lowers the barrier to experimenting with new ideas. Because it's inexpensive, you can make mistakes, learn from them, and improve in the next iteration. This is a crucial strength of 3D printing."
Manuel Kapsreiter
Equipment Designer, Rosenberger
Choosing the Right Technology and Material
The specific challenge for Rosenberger's Tooling Department is the constant need to produce unique parts within short deadlines.
Complex workflows or failed prints cause delays, so an intuitive interface and a straightforward workflow are essential.
The team needs to be able to trust that the printer will consistently produce quality parts every time, without constant adjustments or workflow modifications.
"What has always been important to us is that the printed parts have dimensional accuracy, strength, good mechanical properties, and reliability... The Form 3 is a very reliable machine, which cannot be compared to other systems. Because we produce such a wide variety of parts and rarely print the same part twice, it is crucial that the time required for preparation per print is minimized. This is a key reason why we chose the Formlabs system."
Manuel Kapsreiter
Equipment Designer, Rosenberger
Because Rosenberger's Tooling Department supports multiple cross-sectional operations within the organization, the team not only needs to produce parts quickly but also needs to support a wide range of applications, each with different requirements.
Expectations for print quality, accuracy, and material properties are high, as the parts produced will be used in Rosenberger's actual production processes.
Therefore, a wide range of materials is essential for the team's work.
Kapsreiter states that one of the main reasons for choosing Formlabs 3D printers is
"the wide variety of available materials, which allows us to support many different applications."
Rosenberger selects either SLA or SLS systems based on the desired production volume and the material properties required for the part.
The team primarily uses the Form 3+ when smooth, highly detailed parts are needed.
For larger parts, high-volume production, or parts requiring properties similar to injection molding, the team opts for the Fuse 1+ 30W, which has a larger build area and uses cost-effective thermoplastic materials.
The materials most frequently used by Rosenberger's Tooling Department include:
-
Tough 2000 Resin
Used due to its similar properties to ABS, offering strength and impact resistance, suitable for housing prototypes with latching lugs or mounting brackets. -
Rigid 4000 Resin
Used for its high stiffness and strength, ideal for punches of toggle presses in assembly applications. -
Rigid 10K Resin
Used for its very high stiffness, strength, and heat resistance, suitable for wear-resistant parts such as sliding plates. -
Grey Resin
Used for prototyping due to its cost-effectiveness. -
Flexible 80A Resin
Used for its flexibility, suitable for waterproof seals in plugs, housings, tools, and robot gripping units. -
ESD Resin
Used for its dark black color, ideal for presentations or sample displays. -
High Temp Resin
Used for its high heat resistance, suitable for soldering devices. -
Clear Resin
Used for its transparency, ideal for wash balls and transparent covers. -
Nylon 12 Powder
Used for its low cost and to fully utilize the large build volume of the Fuse 1+ 30W. Suitable for large parts or mass production of small parts.
Beyond the material variety, print quality, machine reliability, and ease of use, the affordable Upfront Cost was another key factor in Rosenberger's decision to adopt the Formlabs ecosystem.
"Formlabs printers are very affordable. This is certainly an advantage that competitors find hard to match."
Manuel Kapsreiter
Equipment Designer, Rosenberger
Continuous Expansion of 3D Printing at Rosenberger – From Fridolfing to Global Operations
Managing the workshop and coordinating numerous requests from employees required the team to establish new workflows.
By using a self-developed Ticketing System, Rosenberger's Tool Shop department can receive requests for 3D printed parts from all departments within the company.
Once printing and post-processing are complete, the parts are delivered to the users, in some cases even to company branches as far away as Asia.
After the 3D printing project championed by Kapsreiter showed tangible results, other departments within the company began to show more interest.
"Within just one year, our office in Augsburg purchased one printer, and a few months later, a second. You could call this a success story that started in Fridolfing. Of course, other branches also saw the benefits and began to adopt this approach."
Manuel Kapsreiter
Equipment Designer, Rosenberger
After more than 6 years of 3D printing at Rosenberger, with continuous positive experiences, Kapsreiter advises all industrial companies to re-evaluate their perspectives or previous beliefs about Additive Manufacturing technology, as he himself had to overcome such skepticism at the beginning.
With its versatile applications, low production costs, and rapid production times, 3D printing has become a valuable technology that enhances the capabilities of industrial factories.
"3D printing is just another tool, offering new possibilities and new strengths. For most companies, this is the right development path. You shouldn't ignore this technology, but rather use it appropriately for your work. For most people, it will be like opening up a new world when they realize how many parts can be printed and how much time can be saved."
Kapsreiter said.
Currently, Rosenberger's tool production team continuously receives orders for 3D printed parts. More and more employees in production and assembly are looking to realize their process optimization ideas through 3D printing technology.
For Manuel Kapsreiter, 3D printing at Rosenberger is a success story that he intends to continue, with the goal of further increasing the company's additive manufacturing capabilities.
"Because demand continues to grow."
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Formlabs Form 4 SLA printer details click Check price click |
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Formlabs Fuse 1+ 30W SLS printer details click Check price click |
References
https://formlabs.com/global/blog/rosenberger-3d-printed-tooling-and-end-use-parts/
