Parts on Demand invests in two S1 blasting systems

Neil van Es, the founder of Parts on Demand with the S1

Parts on Demand, a specialist in industrial 3-D printing based in Utrecht, the Netherlands, has significantly enhanced its series production capabilities by integrating two S1 blasting systems from AM Solutions – 3D post-processing technology. The company, founded in 2014, focuses on the flexible production of end-use parts in quantities ranging from one to 100,000 units. With eight industrial 3-D printers in operation and a weekly output of 20,000 to 30,000 components, Parts on Demand is pushing the boundaries of additive manufacturing (AM) by aligning its processes with conventional manufacturing standards.

To meet growing demand and address rising energy costs, the company has automated its post-processing workflow. Neil van Es, founder of Parts on Demand, said: “We have significantly more orders to process today, and we are also facing challenges such as the sharp rise in energy costs. That is why we are always looking to make our processes more efficient. With the post-processing solutions from AM Solutions, we have reached a new level.”

Consistently high surface quality
The S1 systems, installed for both white and dark parts, combine cleaning and surface finishing in a single automated step. This two-in-one functionality has reduced post-processing time from 45 to just 15min, while cutting energy consumption by 15% due to lower compressed air requirements. The systems also deliver consistently high surface quality, eliminating the need for manual sorting of parts prior to finishing.

Parts on Demand has also switched from glass beads to polybeads for blasting, which offer greater durability and improved results. Mr van Es explained: “In the past, we used glass beads for de-powdering, but they had a short service life, so we ended up with a lot more waste. We now go from using one large pack per month to using just one big pack every three months. This protects the environment and reduces another cost factor significantly.”

Before committing to the investment, the company conducted extensive testing at the AM Solutions Customer Experience Centre. Mr van Es concluded: “We tried to push the system to its limits. No matter how unclean the parts were, they always came out clean. This extremely high performance, combined with the excellent support provided by our local branch in the Netherlands, was a key factor in our decision.”