The Berlin-based startup MaxResolution3D was founded in 2021 with the aim of mass production using 3D printing technology and bridging the gap between injection molding, machining and other traditional manufacturing technologies. The beginning company conducted intensive market research trying to find a solution that would give them a competitive advantage over other companies of this type on the one hand, and ensure simple and efficient work on the other. Ultimately, the Nexa3D NXE 400 platform turned out to be the best system for creating scalable services in MaxResolution3D, and this case study describes the way its founders went from concept to final implementation and start of operations.
The co-founders of MaxResolution3D – Max Männel and Dario Dill, met in high school, and later jointly developed the e-commerce platform – Stoeberstube030. In February 2021, they decided to start another project based on additive technologies. After obtaining funds from private investors, the founders began searching for the best production platform to implement their assumptions. One of the main ones was the ability to scale the machine park along with the development of the business.
Thanks to Männel’s doctoral studies in 3D printing and Dill’s experience in law, IT and project management in 3D printing start-ups, both co-founders had a fairly good view of the market and well-defined expectations. In the first months, Männel and Dill visited fairs and participated in numerous demonstrations to find machines on which to base their startup’s services.
After an initial search, the MaxResolution3D team significantly narrowed down the selection after viewing demos of 3D printers from EnvisionTEC, Carbon and Nexa3D. According to Männel and Dill, EnvisionTEC’s EnvisionONE produced parts that were rather sticky and did not have a high-quality surface finish right out of the plate. They were also not satisfied with the dimensions of the working chamber of the device, at the level of 180 x 101 x 175 mm, appreciating the Nexa3D, offering 275 x 155 x 400 mm.
The MaxResolution3D team narrowed down their choice between Carbon DLP and the latest American 3D technology in the form of LSPc from NEXA3D. While speed and resolution were considered to be relatively comparable between the two platforms, there were many aspects that pointed to Nexa3D as the right choice. Having a robotic work cell to automate parts handling was a big plus, as well as being able to buy and own your own machine instead of the leasing model that Carbon offers.
One factor that largely tipped the NXE 400’s favor came when Dario and Max saw a robotic work cell, designed by ProductionToGo, for handling parts loading and secondary operations. Ultimately, the NXE 400 platform turned out to be the best system for creating scalable services. Large build volume, high part quality, ultra-fast 3D printing speeds, high productivity, full ownership and a robotic workstation have tipped the scales of choice.
One particular case study that the MaxResolution3D team presented at the beginning of their activity came from a coral producer from Germany – Tom’s Korralen (Tom’s Corals), who needed a safe, rigid means of transport. Before meeting MaxResolution3D, Tom’s Corals printed these carriers with a single FFF 3D printer, which could not keep up with the demand for corals for sale. What took several hours on the FFF 3D printer was done in about 15 minutes on the NXE 400 LSPc. Thanks to Nexa3D’s own configuration, it was also possible to print 5,500 parts in 10 hours or 84 parts in 11 minutes.
“Integrating robotics into the workflow is something we greatly value; almost everything we do manually today we hope to automate in the future,” said Dario Dill, operations and digitalization manager at MaxResolution3D. “Additionally, we have a polymer scientist on staff to help us experiment and incorporate different resins and other plastics into our existing material stack.”
With just one year of history, MaxResolution3D is hard at work expanding its current resin 3D printing manufacturing partnerships across Europe. In the coming years, the team plans to expand into other geographies, a wider range of industries and a wider range of materials offered.
Source: 3DPhoenix press materials
