At Walter Reckmeyer Werkzeug- und Maschinenbau, 3D printers are replacing entire CNC machining centers.

Jan Reckmeyer, second-generation managing director of the company, was introduced to Markforged 3D printers at an in-house trade fair and was impressed by their strength. He immediately recognized the added value for his company. Finally, he could envision an alternative to expensive aluminum parts: producing plastic components with the strength of aluminum using a simple system. Components that are also lighter and significantly cheaper to manufacture. Two industrial Markforged 3D printers were purchased: a Markforged Onyx One and a Mark Two for high-strength components. The Mark Two 3D printer also has the option of reinforcing components with continuous fibers made of carbon, Kevlar, or fiberglass. After a very short time, the 3D printers were being operated flawlessly and used as a genuine manufacturing technology.

The results speak for themselves: Costs and production time have been reduced tenfold! Customer acceptance is fully present. A shift in thinking has taken place. The new requirements are now already geared towards additive manufacturing. For example, the zero-defect principle "Poka-Yoke" is expected by customers and is therefore directly integrated. "For every 3D printer, we save the cost of a CNC machining center, including the operator. Some of the new parts can no longer be manufactured conventionally from aluminum. The geometries are simply too complex. The effort would be many times greater," explains Jan Reckmeyer. Additive manufacturing will continue to reliably supply mechanically robust components for the automotive industry in the future – as a complement to conventional manufacturing.