Case Study
Customized Enclosures for Mobile Robots – Metralabs
The Company
Metralabs is a developer of autonomous navigating service robots for different applications worldwide. Such applications include industrial robots, robots for retail uses, research, etc.
The Challenges
The Challenges
Metralabs faces the challenge of designing and creating robots in different sizes, for clients with different needs. Each of these designs differs in both technical details and overall look of the robot in order to meet the customers functional needs and use profile. Therefore, the company needs to utilize strong yet versatile working tools.
The Challenges
The Solution
Modix’s BIG-60 3D printer provides an in-house solution for manufacturing parts, prototyping models and testing versatile robots and the products’ functionality.
With Modix BIG-60 Metralab can manufacture small batches of tailored enclosures without the heavy investment needed for molds. It also helps to close more deals as clients can see a unique design that matches their needs better than a standard robot design; i.e. a robot design for a retail shop might want to look different than a robot for industrial warehouse deliveries.
The BIG-60 printer is a large-format 3D printer that can print parts up to a print volume of 600 X 600 X 660 mm. This makes it ideal for Metralabs, which needs to be able to print large parts for its robots. The BIG-60 is also very versatile, and can print with a variety of materials, including PLA, ABS, and nylon. This gives Metralabs the flexibility to choose the right material for each application.
The Solution and Outcome
“The print quality is improving with every print. We finished a robot for a new project recently. All the housing parts were printed with a Modix BIG-60 printer. The parts were grinded, filled and painted afterwards. Also, our boss is thinking about buying a second printer, which is good.”, says Alexander Kloska, Mechanical Engineer at Metralabs. “For our prototypes and small productions we normally use the 1mm nozzle and the 0.6 layer size. We usually use white PLA filament and each enclosure part takes approximately 20 hours to print.”
https://www.metralabs.com/en/Information box:
Company: Metralabs
Application: Prototyping, Manufacturing
Vertical: Industrial robots
Retail robotsPrinters: Modix BIG-60
