Custom Relay Components - Serial Production Using 3D Print from cotu s.r.o.

3D Printing for Reed Relay Production

RELMAG electronic s.r.o., a leading manufacturer of reed technology in the Czech Republic with a history spanning more than 30 years, specialises in the production and sale of reed relays, sensors, contacts and permanent magnets, including custom solutions.

The company faced the challenge of developing relays for highly specific applications with precisely defined requirements. Standard manufacturing processes, such as plastic injection moulding, proved inefficient – not only economically, but also in terms of time, as the lead time was approximately 6 weeks.
This situation called for an innovative solution and a partner with technological know-how. RELMAG opted for the 3D printing service offered by cotu^® and additive manufacturing, specifically DLP 3D printing technology, which was considered the optimal way to meet the customer's requirements.

How cotu^® Decided to Address This Challenge

Technology used: Asiga PRO 4K
Material used: LOCTITE 3D 3843 HDT60 High Toughness Matte Black

cotu^® focused on selecting the optimal materials for 3D printing and chose Loctite 3D 3843 HDT60, which is the best solution for meeting the component requirements, particularly in terms of electromagnetic parameters. This material offers the properties of a high-strength, ABS-like plastic, with good impact resistance and an excellent surface finish. The newly designed relay components were manufactured using this material and the DLP printing process on an Asiga PRO 4K printer. By using an additive process instead of injection moulding, it was possible to print up to 250 parts in a single 90-minute print job. This demonstrates that using photopolymers is much more efficient than other technologies, while still providing the excellent surface finish and dimensional accuracy required for these custom-designed components. The 3D printing process thus made it possible to move through all stages of production, from prototyping to series production of final parts.

Fast and Cost-Effective Production of Sensors and Parts Using 3D Printing

The benefits of this solution were substantial. By eliminating the need for injection moulds, cotu^® significantly reduced production costs and shortened the lead time. Producing smaller batches by injection moulding would have resulted in enormous per-part costs for this batch. The lead time was also dramatically reduced. Previously, manufacturing the mould took approximately 6 weeks, but thanks to 3D printing technology, all the parts could be printed in four 90-minute 3D print jobs.

A crucial element in producing these parts was the use of the Asiga PRO 4K printer, which enabled uniform, defect-free parts to be printed without supports or subsequent sanding. This printer also has integrated sensors, making it possible to print components with precise tolerances for fitting metal pins - contacts. This would have been practically impossible with LCD technology, which does not include sensors and therefore would not have allowed such a level of accuracy and repeatability in series production. The sensors on the Asiga PRO 4K printer were a key element that enabled repeat production with consistent quality of the final parts.

Series production for RELMAG electronic's custom relays using 3D printing by cotu s.r.o.

Overall, the success of this project lay not only in the high-quality materials and printer, but above all in the technological capabilities of cotu^®, which provided a comprehensive solution for series production, efficient printing and significant cost savings. It was 3D printing that made a project of this kind possible at all.

“3D printing has opened new doors for us – to develop and manufacture smaller batches of entirely customised products that are far removed from any existing standardised solutions. We can now meet highly individual customer requirements for components for their specific projects. We are impressed by how precise 3D printing can be and how we can also use this technology to manufacture final products. On this basis, we are now considering integrating 3D printing into our own production process as well.” - Zdeněk Zamrzla, Product Manager at RELMAG electronic