Français
Français
EANT-GMBH company logo

Customer

EANT-GmbH

Headquarters

Leipzig, Saxon, Germany

Industry

Technical Solutions for the communications industry

Employees

50

The Situation

EANT-GmbH is a leading German engineering firm specializing in advanced automation and  industrial services. With a strong focus on innovation and precision, the company offers tailored solutions in various industries that enhance operational efficiency and productivity. Its expertise spans robotics to custom machinery, making it a trusted partner in industrial.

3D Printed Part using Nylon 12CF FDM material

The Challenge

EANT was engaged by a partner company, EPAK, a maker of maritime satellite antennas, to improve the design of the antenna support mounts. These are usually welded structures comprising multiple stainless-steel components, resulting in a heavy assembly. The goal was to amend the design to make it lighter, as well as easier and faster to produce. To achieve this, engineers used generative design, which minimizes a part’s material needs while maintaining its structural requirements. However, this approach usually produces organic shapes that are difficult, if not impossible, to fabricate with machining and welding. 

CAD Model of a 3D printed part for Nylon12CF material

Solution

At the suggestion of CINTEG AG, a 3D printing services and solutions provider, engineers chose additive manufacturing (AM) as the optimal solution because it offered several significant benefits over other fabrication methods: 

  • AM easily achieves the irregular shape produced by the generative design 
  • Multiple polymer materials are available that are lighter than metal but meet structural requirements 
  • AM offers a faster means of fabrication 
  • AM requires much less labor to produce the mount 

Engineers selected FDM® Nylon 12CF, a carbon-fiber material that results in very strong, rigid structures. A Stratasys F900® 3D printer, which has the largest build chamber among industrial 3D printers, afforded sufficient space to accommodate the part’s size. A T40 printer tip was also essential to this solution because it enabled a higher volume of material deposition during the print process, accelerating the print time and reducing time-to-part. 

The Impact

Using the F900 with the T40 tip and Nylon 12CF allowed EANT to achieve its design objectives. The 3D printed antenna support mount decreased production cost by 20%, reduced the production time by 75%, and lowered the weight by 38%. EANT noted that the higher-capacity T40 tip made the business case for this solution possible. Using a smaller-flow tip would have increased the print time and would not have achieved the cost-reduction objectives of the project. 

Lower costs icon

time saving icon

Weight Reduction icon

Download the Case Study

Related Content

3D Printed from Nylon-CF10 using Stratasys FDM Technology - 3D Printing Solutions.

Why You Should Consider 3D Printing Soft Jaws Instead of Machining Them

3D printed CNC fixtures such as soft jaws save time and money. Learn more about the benefits of additive manufacturing with Stratasys 3D printing solutions.

Voir plus
chevrolet 3d printing car factory

General Motors rises to the challenge with 3D printing.

General Motors uses Stratasys 3D printing to create lightweight risers out of FDM Nylon 12CF for Chevy Bolt assembly line.

Voir plus
3D Printed from Nylon-CF10 using Stratasys FDM Technology - 3D Printing Solutions.

3D printed CNC fixtures such as soft jaws save time and money. Learn more about the benefits of additive manufacturing with Stratasys 3D printing solutions.

chevrolet 3d printing car factory

General Motors uses Stratasys 3D printing to create lightweight risers out of FDM Nylon 12CF for Chevy Bolt assembly line.

Customized vehicle manufacturer Utah Trikes uses strong FDM materials to go from prototypes to production within weeks. Increased efficiency means more time with customers, more time growing their business and more productivity. Learn more: https://www.stratasys.com/materials/search/fdm-nylon-12cf