Established more than 80 years ago, ERIKS maintains its industry leadership position by embracing cutting-edge technologies such as the 3D printing ecosystem UltiMaker, to meet the evolving needs of its diverse customer base. With more than 5,000 skilled colleagues in 15 countries, ERIKS is a multi-product specialist providing a wide range of high-quality mechanical engineering components and services.
ERIKS was one of the first to adopt 3D printing, incorporating it into various aspects of its operations, from templates and fixtures to manufacturing parts. ERIKS places a strong emphasis on its lean manufacturing practices to create more value for customers with more efficiency, better quality and fewer resources. What sets the company apart from its competitors is its commitment to quality and precision, evident in its decision to use 3D printing in clean manufacturing facilities. In particular, ERIKS achieved a milestone by certifying the workflow for creating food-safe printed parts, positioning it as one of the pioneers worldwide.
The reliability and durability of UltiMaker 3D printers
The majority of 3D printers on ERIKS are dedicated to prototyping, custom fixtures, fixtures and tools for manufacturing or maintenance. Over time, the company has embraced the use of 3D printing for end-use parts, using different materials to meet specific requirements such as heat resistance, food safety or EMD safety.
Job van de Sande, head of the engineering department at ERIKS, notes the flexibility of 3D printing, which enables the production of flexible or rigid components tailored for a variety of applications, including optimizing assembly or manufacturing processes, quality tools and safety equipment.
Job van de Sande emphasizes the importance of UltiMaker in their 3D printing journey, stating,
„We have made UltiMaker the FDM 3D printing platform of choice at ERIKS. We have now expanded our fleet of printers to around 25 across 10 different teams in six different countries.„
ERIKS uses different printers UltiMaker in the series S, including the latest 3D printer UltiMaker S7. The reliability and future nature of UltiMaker are crucial for ERIKS, ensuring that their investment in printers remains viable in the long term.
Job van de Sande applauds the UltiMaker's reliability and longevity, stating,
„It is very important that the printers we buy today can be used five years from now. And thanks to constant updates to, for example, firmware, we've been able to continue using the entire fleet of UltiMaker printers we've purchased over the years.„
A smoother, faster and better process with 3D printing
Jan Brabander, product manager at ERIKS Industrial Plastics in Ede, the Netherlands, emphasizes the significant role 3D printing plays in their processes, especially for rapid prototyping and small series production, where cost-effectiveness and speed play a crucial role.
"During the development process we may manufacture a part to make it easier to show to our production team or customers,” notes Brabander.
"We also use 3D printing in our internal processes, such as manufacturing or quality control. For example, tools to assemble products or to check measurements or to make our process faster, smoother and of better quality. We are using 3D printing more and more to produce end-use parts that are industrial and can be used in our customers' machines or factories."
ERIKS mounting stand for motors and motor drivers
ERIKS Industrial Plastics specializes in CNC machining and injection molding, but also includes 3D printing as a viable option to produce parts tailored to customer needs.
Van de Sande explains: “Whether they are looking for an application that needs to be heat resistant or food safe or EMD safe, 3D printing will work. But also when they look at more dynamic properties like having flexible or very rigid parts, they can really use 3D printers for that.“
The engineering plastics production facility in Ede is designed to produce food-safe parts according to EC1935 and in accordance with GMP standards.
ERIKS drill alignment fixture for electronics housings
Van de Sande outlines a bottom-up approach to adopting 3D printing. The teams in ERIKS are encouraged to explore the potential of 3D printing within their manufacturing environments by gradually becoming part of the 3D Printing Expert Group. ERIKS foster a community where experts from different business units and locations come together to exchange ideas and knowledge, providing a "holistic" approach to 3D printing implementation.
Using Trinckle, a software that offers parametric design and automation solutions, further democratizes 3D printing, allowing a wider group of individuals who don't necessarily have an engineering background to create applications and use 3D printing. The software also offers a range of industry standard presets allowing for ERIKS to streamline and accelerate the creation of 3D printed applications.
Harnessing the power of the UltiMaker 3D printing ecosystem
ERIKS adopted the complete 3D printing ecosystem UltiMaker, using the release UltiMaker Marketplace and Digital Factory Enterprise , to establish a standard within the organization. Digital Factory provides a complete 3D printer management solution that allows users to prepare, queue, print and manage their projects remotely. Reliability and constant updates, including firmware and applications such as Girl – the world's most popular slicing program – ensures that ERIKS supports a range of printers that remain usable over time, as well as allowing teams to expand 3D printing applications.
Security is a primary concern for ERIKS and its customers. The implementation of Digital Factory Enterprise ensures secure operations by keeping systems behind firewalls while the release Cura Enterprise facilitates collaboration with IT partners to ensure seamless technology stack integration. This comprehensive approach allowed the ERIKS to create a broad community of enthusiasts and experts, driving the widespread adoption of 3D printing.
UltiMaker's 3D printing software allows ERIKS engineers to design and iterate rapidly to ensure components are built to specifications.
Design flexibility with 3D printing
Brabander points to the benefits of 3D printing, stating: “Design flexibility is a significant advantage. There are fewer constraints in the manufacturing process. It is also very fast.„
The flexibility of 3D printing enables rapid prototyping during development, streamlining communication with production teams and customers. ERIKS strategically chooses between different manufacturing technologies, taking into account factors such as batch size, part quantity, lead time and technical parameters to effectively meet customer needs, and offers 3D printing as a solution when it is in line with customer needs .
Brabander emphasizes: “We do not impose any kind of technology. We can use 3D printing as a tool in our toolbox if it offers the best solution for our customers."
As ERIKS continues to integrate 3D printing in more locations, the company expects cost optimization and time savings as it further expands the technology's applications. Brabander continues: “The real benefit from our perspective is being able to produce better quality parts, faster for our customers.The design flexibility and speed of 3D printing make 3D printing the optimal choice for certain applications.
Increasing 3D printing capabilities
The progressive approach of ERIKS to 3D printing has not only improved internal processes, but has also become a valuable tool to meet customer requirements. The combination of the reliability of UltiMaker, continuous updates and a comprehensive 3D printing ecosystem brought out ERIKS at the forefront of manufacturing innovation.
"With the development of more reliable and repeatable end parts, ERIKS has begun to take steps towards aligning them with industry standards and ensuring that 3D printing truly becomes an alternative or even a preferred choice for new and exciting high-end applications,” Van de Sande said.
He concludes,
“ To increase our capabilities within ERIKS, UltiMaker has already proven itself as a reliable and flexible solution. „
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