Co-engineering
No file, but you need the part? Then we engineer it with you.
From a quick printability check on your CAD to a fully scanned, lighter and printable version of a part that has been sitting in your machine for twenty years. Five levels, one fixed way of working, and a project price up front. So you know where you stand before you start.
11 industrial SLS machines, including 3x EOS P500 with dual laser
First article inspection reports and 3D CMM inspection in house
Batch traceability and a Certificate of Analysis on every build
Parts in production for electronics and mechatronics, audio, robotics and broadcast
Where are you now?
Every engineering project starts with what you have in your hands: a drawing, a broken part, or hardware with nothing around it yet. Pick your starting point and we will tell you exactly what we do and what it costs.
Click a level for what we do and what it costs
Level 01 Printability check
A quick manufacturability check on a single order, so you do not run into a failed print afterwards.
Your starting point: “I have a finished 3D CAD file.”
What we do
- Checking wall thicknesses
- Determining build orientation
- Placing powder escape holes
- Mesh repairs and scaling
Within 2 working days you know what it costs and how we will approach it.
Level 02 Digitising
A one-to-one replica of a legacy part or a broken component.
Your starting point: “I have a physical part, but no digital file.”
What we do
- 3D scanning the part
- Converting a technical drawing into 3D CAD
- Checking dimensions and mating surfaces
Within 2 working days you know what it costs and how we will approach it.
Level 03 Re-engineering
The same part, but lighter, more functional and better printable than the original. That is often the moment a metal part becomes a structural polymer.
Your starting point: “I have a physical part, but I want to adapt and optimise it.”
What we do
- 3D scanning as the starting point
- Merging parts into a single print
- Converting a metal part into a structural polymer
- Making it structurally lighter
- Printing article numbers into the part
Within 2 working days you know what it costs and how we will approach it.
Level 04 Co-engineering
A functional housing, jig or protective cover around existing components, think PCBs and sensors.
Your starting point: “I have hardware, but I need a part that fits precisely around it.”
What we do
- Physically measuring your hardware
- Designing snap-fit and bolted connections
- Cable feed-throughs and mounting points
- Print-ready CAD of the housing
Within 2 working days you know what it costs and how we will approach it.
Level 05 Scaling and qualifying
The step from small batches to industrial series production, with hard quality guarantees.
Your starting point: “I have a proven design and want to scale up, lock down quality or drive down cost.”
What we do
- Optimising nesting density for a lower unit price
- Weighing up material alternatives
- DfAM for faster post-processing
- Locking down Critical-to-Quality dimensions
- 3D CMM inspection and CT scanning protocols
- Batch traceability and Certificate of Analysis
- ISO-compliant process validation
Within 2 working days you know what it costs and how we will approach it.
Price indications are project prices based on scope. You always get a quote first.
Your part is printed in PA12, PA 950 HD, Carbon LW (PA640GSL) or PA802CF, depending on your functional requirements.
How an engineering project works
Four steps from specification to series production. No guesswork, no loose ends.
Agreeing criteria and scope
We record your physical constraints, functional requirements, tolerances and adjoining parts up front, so both teams work towards one clear goal. Before anything is drawn, you get a project quote. So you know the engineering cost in advance.
Concept and technical approval
Our engineers produce concept visuals or detailed technical drawings. Only once you approve the drawings does it move towards production.
Printing and validating a sample
We print a physical sample and send it to you (7 working days production time), so you can check fit, form and function in your own application. Your first revision round is included.
Series production
Give the sample the green light and your project moves on to full series production. Your production-ready model stays stored with us, so reordering is immediate.
Building knowledge and certainty together
Every project is bespoke, so these are not fixed packages. They are three examples of how we work alongside your team, whether you need hard verification or want to bring your own engineers further.
Quality control
Demonstrably good, every part
First article inspection reports (FAIR), dimensional inspection on the CMM and material certificates. For applications where failure is not an option.
Designing together
Four hours alongside our engineers
A live session with your engineers: designing a housing together or getting an existing design ready for volume. You go home with a working prototype.
Transferring knowledge
Designing for the printer
A one to three hour workshop for your team: design rules for additive, tolerances and what you can and cannot print.
What our clients say
I am convinced that if you sit down together at the early stage of a project to develop something jointly, you can benefit even more from the knowledge and the possibilities that the design freedom of 3D design gives you.”
Read the full story →Not looking at what exists, but at what is needed. [...] And the fact that we want to print this mounting solution in large volumes was taken into account in the design straight away.”
Read the full story →I had a drawing for feedback in no time and that conveyed so much, it gave enormous confidence.”
Read the full story →You could tell they do not just take down an order, but genuinely engage with your questions. They actively think along on things like material choice and give proactive advice.”
Read the full story →The questions worth asking
The questions engineers ask us as standard before we begin. Not seeing yours? Just call or email us.
Do you also design from an idea?
No. We are your partner in additive manufacturing and co-engineering, not an industrial design agency. We work from fixed physical constraints: adjoining geometry, a reference part, or hardware it has to fit around. Creative ideation, brand experience, consumer packaging and open-ended product development are not what we do. That is exactly why things move fast and predictably here.
So what can you start from?
An existing part (broken or still working), hardware with dimensions such as a PCB, sensor or shaft, or a technical drawing or CAD file with tolerances. Any one of those three is enough to begin. With a few photos and the rough dimensions of your part, we can often already give a first estimate of feasibility and project cost.
Which file types can you process?
For production with SLS we work with .STL and .STEP. Have a different format, a 2D drawing or only a scan? Send it over and we will see whether we can convert it. If there is no file at all, you start at level 2 and we digitise the part for you.
And if I want to design it myself?
Gladly. Our design guidelines are online: design rules, wall thicknesses and tolerances for SLS, so you deliver it printable first time. If you want to bring your team properly up to speed, we run a one to three hour workshop on designing for additive. Stuck on a single detail? Then we pick up just that part together.
What happens to the CAD files?
We keep your production-ready 3D model secured on our servers, so reordering is immediate and identical. Note: the original native CAD files stay in house for production continuity and are not handed over.
How many revisions are included?
One. If the first sample needs adjusting, that design round and the new print are covered by the engineering fee you approved up front. After that we charge per additional round.
When do I know what it costs?
Before anything is drawn. In step 1 we record scope, tolerances and adjoining parts and you get a project quote, within 2 working days of your request. No open hourly rate that runs up afterwards.
How long until I have a sample in my hands?
Depending on the size of the project, our engineers need 1 to 5 working days to work out your concept. After approval of the technical drawing we print the sample in 7 working days production time.