The French operations of Bosch’s automotive components group are using 3D printing equipment made by Polish manufacturer Zortrax to cut costs
on items such as grippers and connector plugs. According to Bosch’s Mondeville (France) plant manager Frederic Boumaza, the investment in Zortrax M200 3D printers was recouped tenfold in just weeks.
Bosch project leader and 3D printing specialist Theophile Guettier says the cost savings attributable to using 3D printers so far amount to around €80k in about one year. In addition to cutting production and outsourcing costs, the use of 3D printing equipment has also helped Bosch to speed up operations. Boumaza: “working together with Zortrax we’ve been able to print spare parts and some support parts for production which let us save, first, a lot of money, but then also a lot of time”.
The Bosch plant in Mondeville is home to around 700 employees, who produce around 15 million components per year for numerous customers in the automotive and electronics industries. Although 3D printing has so far been used only to create a handful of components and spare parts, the benefits of the technology have been evident. Guettier explains that before the 3D printers came in, “we used grippers which were machined and cost about €450 (…) now we produce them using our 3D printer for less than €1. They’re small parts and it’s a really cost-effective solution to 3D print them.” These huge savings on important components have been complemented by other, smaller 3D printing innovations, such as protective covers for cables which quickly became frayed after being plugged in several times a day.
According to Bosch, little maintenance has been required for the 3D printing equipment—a state of affairs that has surprised Guettier and other members of the 3D printing team. Because of the low maintenance, cost-efficiency, and time-saving potential of the 3D printers, Guettier believes that other companies should follow suit by investing in additive manufacturing. “I think not using 3D printers in companies today is a real mistake (…) missing something which is rising very fast and we all have to be prepared for this technology to explode in the next few years. It’s really certain, so everyone has to be prepared for it.”
