Month: February 2024

Proto Labs has committed €4 million to enhance its European infrastructure, marking its most significant investment since the establishment of its UK division in 2005.

This substantial investment will fund the acquisition of state-of-the-art manufacturing technology and facility upgrades, primarily centered in Telford, UK, but extending to other European locations. The decision to invest comes as Proto Labs strategically positions itself to meet the current and anticipated demand for its advanced manufacturing services across Europe.

In June and July of 2017, Proto Labs, a leading provider of digital manufacturing services encompassing 3D printing, CNC machining, and injection molding, finalized large-scale acquisitions of Haas CNC machines and ARBURG injection molding machines. The Haas machines will be configured for either mold making or component machining, bolstering services experiencing rapid growth. With these new additions, Proto Labs UK now boasts an inventory of 130 CNC machining and 57 injection molding machines.

Lee Ball, General Manager of Proto Labs UK, highlighted the company’s commitment to providing fast and reliable service to customers across diverse industries, emphasizing the importance of quick turnaround in product development. Ball stated, “Our continuous investment enables us to meet the evolving needs of our extensive customer base.”

The demand for molded parts is steadily increasing across various sectors, prompting Proto Labs to invest in new technology to accommodate projected growth. Similarly, Proto Labs’ industrial 3D printing service, operating from two sites in Germany, is witnessing heightened demand.

Daniel Cohn, Managing Director of Proto Labs’ 3D printing business in Feldkirchen, Germany, noted the surge in order intake driven by customers from diverse industries, recognizing the cost-effective prototyping opportunities offered by 3D printing technology, particularly for parts with complex geometries.

The company’s recent capacity expansion aligns with its overall business growth in Europe, with manufacturing, engineering, sales, and administrative functions experiencing annual growth rates exceeding 20% since 2015.

Lee Ball emphasized the need for additional space within the next 18 to 24 months to accommodate anticipated growth, both in office space and manufacturing capacity. Similar expansion plans are underway for Proto Labs’ German facilities in Eschenlohe and Feldkirchen to support expected growth.

Eplan, a leading provider of software and service solutions, has recently rolled out an update to its data portal, enriching it with an extensive array of components from various manufacturers.

Digitizing Electrical Design Electrical design entails illustrating the interconnection of diverse electrical components in a visually comprehensible manner, facilitating technicians in constructing equipment on the workshop floor. Eplan specializes in designing software tailored specifically for electrical design, empowering designers to create digital blueprints for technicians. In its latest software update, Eplan has introduced enhancements, incorporating new manufacturers and augmenting data related to existing components, thereby broadening the utility of the software.

Eplan Design Solutions The Eplan platform encompasses a suite of applications designed for crafting hydraulic, pneumatic, and electrical systems, as well as for preplanning and 3D modeling of electrical cabinets. Unlike standalone CAD software, Eplan collaborates with top-tier manufacturers, enabling designers to select components from an extensive library. These components can be seamlessly integrated into designs, with each component’s metadata stored within the project. This streamlined workflow minimizes the time designers spend searching for component manuals or wiring diagrams.

Moreover, Eplan offers compatibility with various software systems, including enterprise resource planning (ERP), product lifecycle management (PLM), and product data management (PDM) systems. By establishing connections and sharing data with business management systems, designers and engineers can monitor their designs throughout the manufacturing process until final customer acceptance.

Eplan transcends its role as merely an electrical CAD software—its offerings extend to designing hydraulic and pneumatic systems. Similar to Eplan Electrical, users of the Eplan Fluid application can leverage the data portal, facilitating the rapid and accurate creation of schematics through a user-friendly drag-and-drop interface.

Embracing Standardization and Documentation Standardizing designs proves to be a cost-effective measure for equipment builders. Eplan supports standardization and template-based approaches, as well as manual creation of electrical schematics. Through its partnerships with manufacturers and incorporation of metadata in projects, Eplan ensures that project documentation is generated concurrently with the design process. Automatic completion of bill of materials, inclusive of part numbers and quantities, streamlines the documentation process.

Eplan Data Portal Update Eplan’s data portal continually expands its catalog of available components by leveraging actual component data from industry partners. In the latest update, Eplan has integrated two new manufacturers, Federal Signal and Gefran, offering data for an array of components such as lights, signal devices, switches and pushbuttons, amplifiers, controllers, fluid power accessories, contactors, PLCs, and protection devices.

Furthermore, Eplan diligently updates its library to reflect changes in component catalogs, including updates and obsolescence. The January update witnessed 541 updates from 19 manufacturers, while 1,562 data sets were removed to reflect component obsolescence. By providing an updated library, Eplan ensures that designs and documents exported from the platform remain current and relevant.