Acceleration of prototyping and cost savings at Česká Zbrojovka

What are the advantages of 3D printing in product prototyping?

Česká zbrojovka, a.s., a traditional manufacturer of weapons for the defence industry and leisure, has accelerated the preparation of prototypes of its products by up to 50% thanks to 3D printing.

How?

Design and development are nowadays almost exclusively created using software tools. Using 3D printing in product development, Česká zbrojovka was able to speed up production by up to 50%. The involvement of additive manufacturing allowed us to quickly verify functionality and critical points. In addition, we can see and feel the prototype. Thanks to 3D printing, we are able to introduce new products into series production in a timely manner.

3D printing enables rapid prototyping of complex components in metal, polymers and other materials. In addition, it can also be used for small and medium-sized series production, and it does not mean higher costs for moulds and fixtures.

The printing process consists of three stages. First, you need to:

• select the appropriate material.
  
• Then the orientation of the parts in the print area needs to be set up, so that the printing is efficient and of high quality.
  
• Finally, the part is separated from the platform, cleaned to final form and sent to the customer.

And what does Česká zbrojovka gain by using 3D printing?

• Firstly, the reduction of new product development costs.
• In addition, it speeds up prototype preparation by up to 50% and reduces the number of iterations when introducing the product into mass production.

Watch the case study video:

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