Optimiz3D’s founder, Miha Koprivec had begun his career, working in the family business that belonged to his father. The company mainly served the automotive industry as a manufacturer and also a part supplier of technical products that are made of elastomers and thermoplastics.
According to Koprivec, he found an opening in the automotive industry and he took it. The opportunity he saw was for 3D printing in the automotive industry. At the time, it was not as common as it is currently, but Koprivec saw real value in applying 3D printing for the mass production of parts in addition to the creation of product designs.
Koprivec took interest in learning as much as he could about 3D printing and the utilization of 3D printing for production.
As a start-up contract manufacturer, Optimiz3D plans to offer higher-value, quality manufacturing and also offer CNC machining services that will have a fast turnaround.
The services they offer include short-run manufacturing, on-demand production of prototypes as well as custom production applications. This is done by specializing in both 5-axis 3D printing services and CNC manufacturing.
Challenges Faced
Contract manufacturing is an excellent way to manage profitable jobs. For smaller operations, the margins between competitive and non-competitive, successful, and unsuccessful ones are thin. There is intense competition in this industry. The “job shop” is a unique business model because it produces a wide range of products and operates with variable capacity. This uncertainty can be a lot to handle, but it presents a lot of opportunities for success.
Optimiz3D developed a revolutionary manufacturing process that relies on additive manufacturing (AM), an incredibly high-tech and productive way of manufacturing. They offer low-cost, fast response, and highly flexible manufacturing. They knew they needed to take advantage of the right 3D printer to maximize productivity, yield, and speed.
One of their goals was to give customers more flexibility in the jobs they print, the materials they use for printing, and the parts they print. After all, providing more opportunities will increase their chances of capturing new businesses.
To find the best 3D printer for the new business model, Optimiz3D worked with 3DZ, one of the largest authorized dealers in Europe and a leading supplier and manufacturer in the industry. 3DZ helped them find a 3D printer that would give their new business model the competitive advantage it needed to thrive.
Koprivec needed a printer that would best suit his business. Thankfully, 3DZ has decades of experience and expertise in this industry. And they were able to help Koprivec find the printer that best fit his needs and budget.
After evaluating 3D printers, Koprivec chose Nexa 3D’s NXE400 because of its printing speeds and printing size. This printer was best for his needs because he works with other companies for trial and error product designs.
“The NXE400 platform is a digital innovation that allows us to offer more cost-effective options and reduce lost time. Having the ability to produce parts on demand is a critical success factor for our business.”
Solution
After Koprivec purchased the NXE400, they quickly realized how much of a difference it made to be able to deliver a prototype within one day as opposed to weeks.
“It’s given us and our customers an advantage. We can efficiently design products, modify them easily, and even run small series production with minimal trouble. It helped our business grow. Thank you!” – Koprivec
In one instance, Optimiz3D used 3D printing to offer a solution over conventional injection molding in the production industry. They were able to save their customers a significant amount of resources and time.
“This part is 15mm in diameter and 60mm long. Normally, it would be injection molded out of PA6GF15 material,” Koprivec says. “But this one was made with xCE-Black material because the customer needed high mechanical properties and high temperature resistance”.
The Benefits of using 3D printing
The main benefit of 3D printing in this case is the tooling cost. It’s virtually nonexistent, which means that the lifetime of the project is less expensive than if it were done with injection molding.
One of the other major benefits is that it’s easier to make changes to the design without incurring additional costs. For example, it’s possible to start production right away and still make changes later without costly tooling changes. These benefits are the types of changes the industry needs at this time.
