Customer case study - Electroplating 3D Printed Parts for High-Performance Antennas — Cutting Costs By More Than 90%
Elliptika specializes in the design and development of radio frequency, and microwave products and solutions. Elliptika brings its expertise to the fields of consulting and RF and microwave engineering. Elliptika offers a wide range of services from the design to the production of microwave components.
CHALLENGE:
Radiofrequency designers Gwendale Cochet and Alexandre Manchecc create custom antennas for clients. To create and make the designs they need to achieve complex geometries, keep costs low and deliver designs rapidly. To achieve these parameters the team needed to use a different type of manufacturing.
SOLUTION:
The team has worked with several different additive manufacturing processes and SLA was the best match for electroplating due to the smooth surface finish. 3D printed and electroplated in-house was cheaper and quicker for Elliptika to do.
RESULTS:
Elliptika achieved a positive ROI on their Formlabs 3D printer. The use of 3D printing allowed them to save on money and time - getting their parts made externally cost 3000 EUR when they printed the electroplate in house it only cost 20 EUR. Using a Formlabs printer meant their pace of work accelerated “With in-house 3D printing, we have working parts in two days. One day for printing, one day for plating, and it's working. So it's much, much shorter,” said Mr. Cochet. These savings are huge for a small business like Elliptika.
To find out more about how Formlabs printers can help your business you can call us on 01765 694 007, send us an email at [email protected] or book a discovery call with our Formlabs specialists Elaine Rutledge or Tammy O'Neill.
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