2 minute read
Markforged | Low-Volume Production
KST Moschkau: the FX20 for Low-Volume Production
When demand for a new product exceeded expectations, security systems manufacturer KST Moschkau turned to the FX20 to skip messy supply chains with scalable production.
The results? The FX20 cut lead times from 3-4 weeks down to 2 days. Production costs are 1/6 compared to using several aluminium components from third-party CNC shops.
The Customer
KST Moschkau GmbH is a family-managed business founded in 1985. As a project system house, KST develops complex system solutions in the main business areas of Broadcast & ProAV, media technology, and AV security systems.
Within KST Moschkau, the system construction division manufactures its own extensive product portfolio of components, articles, and systems using state-of-the-art production techniques - where they’ve begun to extend their product portfolio to out-of-the-box solutions for tailored requests.
The Challenge
At the beginning of February 2020, KST started production on the KST-OH series, an outdoor housing for the Panasonic PTZ camera. The demand for the product exceeded their expectations, but they soon realized the current manufacturing process was not scalable for small series production. Originally, the camera housing was designed in-house and the components were outsourced to CNC shops to be machined.
Since the housing contained several Aluminum plates, iterations quickly became expensive for customising these low-quantity orders. The process became labour and time-intensive - requiring many steps to obtain and assemble the many components for a single product. On top of that, their dependence on third parties left them with no control over shipment delays - forcing them to delay projects even further for their customers.
The Solution
Rather than outsourcing the majority of their product to machine shops, the KST team took matters into their own hands. As a Markforged customer, they instantly understood how impactful the FX20 could be on their supply chain. By using the FX20, KST was able to print 3 components on a single print bed - 525x400x400 mm. On a smaller machine, they would have had to print fewer parts per build, and split up some of their larger designs into multiple parts.
Printing housings on the FX20 lowered costs and accelerated production immensely - giving them more flexibility to prototype and iterate on designs before delivering to customers. The excellent surface finish and the toughness of Onyx helped them keep the highest quality standard for their products. The housing was not visibly different than its aluminum counterpart after post-processing. In fact, the only real difference was the slightly lighter weight. This new method of manufacturing guaranteed the housing to withstand harsh outdoor weather conditions such as rain, UV rays, and extreme temperature variations.
“By switching to Additive, this immediately lowered costs and accelerated production immensely - giving us the flexibility to prototype and iterate on designs on our own terms before validation. The excellent surface finish and the toughness of Onyx helped us maintain the highest quality standards we set for our products.” — Felix Moschkau, KST Moschkau
The FX20
The FX20 brings the Digital Forge and Continuous Fiber Reinforcement to a new realm of parts, problems, and industries.
Massive builds, faster — The FX20 pairs size and throughput to make larger builds at incredible speeds, delivering the transformational benefits of The Digital Forge at a new scale.
Flight-ready functional parts — Built for everything from performance tooling and fixtures to flight-ready production parts, this large format 3D printer can reinforce ULTEM™ 9085 Filament with continuous carbon fibre.
Production-ready performance — A precision-designed, sensor-driven production 3D printer delivers breakthrough reliability and performance with a simple user experience.
4 minute read
