At the forefront of industrial 3D printing – TDK Hungary Components Kft.
TDK in Szombathely is one of the most significant European electronics development and manufacturing centers of the international TDK group, which supplies products to numerous automotive customers in Europe and worldwide. Miklós Koltay, process engineer at TDK Hungary Components Kft., has a long-standing relationship with VARINEX and works with the Stratasys Fortus 450 industrial 3D printer for most of his work.
"In future expansion, it is definitely advisable to think in the direction of industrial machines, as they are 4-8 times faster than small machines, so they are capable of a completely different volume. Even if they are more expensive, they are faster and the additional investment will quickly pay off."
What comes to mind when I say VARINEX?
We already had a printer from VARINEX at my previous workplace, and another department at TDK has had an Objet30 Prime printer for about 7-8 years. When we needed to produce in industrial volume and with materials that were the same as those used in industry, we decided to buy the Stratasys Fortus 450 from VARINEX, this large-scale machine that I also work with.
What was life like at TDK before the machine, and what challenge did the Stratasys Fortus 450 machine provide?
The most important aspect that made us buy this machine was the range of industrial raw materials. In fact, this is the only machine on the market that currently meets our raw material requirements.
In the pre-machine days, we were just making devices for manufacturing, basically auxiliary tools. Then we also helped developers with prototypes, but we wanted to do it all at the speed and quality that the Stratasys Fortus 450 allows.
We also appreciate the services, for example, if there is any problem with the machine, VARINEX comes to service it within days, and if the situation requires it, they will even print the parts for us. It's just not what we had with our previous machines, where if there was any problem, I had downtime and couldn't print.
Is the machine running almost constantly?
It's quite busy, yes, as it operates at least 16 hours a day all week.
What is the practical experience, how much human help is needed for operation?
I'm actually the one who runs the lab and manages the machine, and I even design it, so I'm not bored. Now it's possible that I'll need some help in order to be able to use our machines in the future. Basically, in our department within TDK in Szombathely, I deal with device design. That's how I got involved with 3D printing in the first place, that we wanted to print the devices and parts I designed as rapid prototypes, or even use them in production, if the plastic allows it.
In your opinion, is the demand for 3D printing expected to continue to grow at TDK?
In the future expansion, it is definitely advisable to think in the direction of industrial machines, as they are 4-8 times faster than small machines, so they are capable of a completely different volume. Even if they are more expensive, they are faster and the additional investment will quickly pay off.
As far as I know, there is a lot of interest in this technology within the international TDK, not just in Hungary. This is actually a kind of “test”, we are now developing the system, as everyone knows that 3D printing is the future, or at least a large part of the industrial revolution that is still underway.
"I love this machine because it's fast and the materials are not even comparable in terms of heat resistance and mechanical resistance to those used in a regular desktop machine."
Approximately how many parts or devices are produced with Fortus per day?
This is difficult to say because we are talking about pieces of very different sizes in each case. Thanks to the machine parameters, it is possible to create a very beautiful surface on the finished pieces, because FDM technology works with layer-by-layer construction and is capable of producing very complex geometries. However, when building with thinner layers, production is slower, so the volume that can be produced in a given time also decreases, so the number of parts it produces per day also depends on the complexity of the pieces and the desired surface quality, and this obviously varies. With complex geometries, the return on a single piece is much higher, since these parts cannot be produced with traditional technologies, or would only be very expensive. But if you need strong parts with simpler geometry, it also knows that, and it is incredibly fast there.
What makes this machine so lovable to you?
I like this machine because it is very fast and the materials are not even comparable in terms of heat resistance and mechanical resistance to those that a regular desktop machine can handle. Stratasys machines come in three levels: our machine also knows all-materials, i.e. normal materials, followed by engineering and high-level materials. At the top level, serious aerospace and space materials appear, and we use them, which is why we bought the machine. What makes it unique for us is that these materials are also available with it.
