Finnish company Etteplan currently uses additive manufacturing as part of its offering of development projects and design solutions for its customers who want to make their products and services more intelligent. Etteplan traditionally used powder bed printer for its prototyping services. The company now expands its offering in a partnership with Swedish Linköping-based company Wematter. This partnership leverages WeMatter’s Gravity 2021 3D printer to develop functional prototypes.
Etteplan’s expertise in mechanical design, various types of optimization services, composites, and AM allows Wematter’s Gravity printer to reach its full potential. The Gravity 2021’s placement at Etteplan will result in a range of collaborative projects.
With our previous SLS machine, we had at least one month of training for a new operator to run the machine at a basic level. Gravity enables increased user-friendliness through optimized print parameters by default.
The powder handling is another great advantage, as we get around the challenges of handling powder in and out of the machine. Wematter has really thought about the functions that create customer value for development organizations like us.
In addition to hiring consultants on-site at customers’ location, Etteplan’s strategy has for several years been to deliver complete development projects and overall commitments. Its Linköping office has already invested in a local workshop with the ability to produce fast prototypes with different types of 3D printers. Wematter’s Gravity significantly increases Etteplan’s capacity. The machines further allows Etteplan to refocus its staff’s working time toward development rather than machine support. Etteplan will strengthen its position locally by increasing the quality and flexibility of projects that it can take on and nationally.
Robert Kniola, founder, and CEO of Wematter, commented on the partnership:
I think it is very exciting that such a large and recognized player with its clear AM investment chooses us as a supplier. Especially when they have experience with such an established supplier before. You also feel proud as a resident of Linköping when a multinational player such as Etteplan chooses us for its office.
Etteplan is also prominent in composite manufacturing, for example, glass and carbon fibre. In several projects, we have used glass and carbon fiber in our Gravity machines. We also have expertise in the field from our material scientists, which makes this collaboration very interesting.
