Request a quote
Sometimes machining is not the first answer. There are parts that need to be validated before manufacturing, tooling that must be ready within days, or components no longer made by anyone that are holding up a production line. For these cases, Mecautil has industrial additive manufacturing capabilities.
Additive manufacturing – also known as industrial 3D printing – builds parts by depositing material layer by layer from a digital model, rather than removing material as conventional machining does. This fundamental difference has very concrete practical consequences for those managing industrial projects:
You can go from a digital file to a physical part without preparing dies, moulds or specific fixtures.
Manufacturing one unit costs practically the same as manufacturing five. This completely changes the equation for prototypes, spare parts and short runs.
Internal channels, lattice structures, organic shapes or parts that integrate several components into one.
Modifying a design from one version to the next has no tooling cost. Only print time.
It does not replace machining: it complements it. There are mechanical properties, tolerances and materials that can only be achieved by material removal. The value lies in knowing when to apply each process.
Not all parts are candidates for industrial 3D printing. At Mecautil we apply additive manufacturing when the project justifies it technically and economically. These are the typical scenarios where we add the most value:
Checking geometries, fits and tolerances with a physical part before moving to final machining. Reduces errors and iteration costs.
Supports, clamps, templates and positioning elements adapted to each process, manufactured quickly and without machining costs.
When the original manufacturer no longer supplies the component, additive manufacturing allows it to be reproduced from the existing part, a drawing or a functional requirement, without depending on minimum order quantities.
When the volume does not justify full CNC programming or the deadline requires a fast response.
Shapes that conventional machining cannot resolve efficiently or economically.
In many projects the printed part is already the final part, not an intermediate step. When the material, tolerance and functionality allow it, there is no reason to machine.
When the project requires tight tolerances, metal materials or medium and long runs, machining remains the best option. We know how to tell the difference and we say so from the start.
We work with two complementary industrial 3D printing technologies, selected for their applicability to the machining environment:
Industry reference in industrial SLA with Low Force Display™ technology. 25-micron XY resolution, ±0.15% tolerances and surfaces comparable to injection-moulded parts. The workflow – washing and curing – is automated with equipment from the same Formlabs ecosystem.
SLA: Formlabs Form 4
SLA: Formlabs Form 4
Compatible with over 20 technical resins:
Ideal for: dimensional validation, critical fits and tolerances, complex geometries and end-use parts where precision and surface finish are decisive.
Professional dual-extruder printer with a heated chamber at 65 °C, tungsten carbide nozzle and 50 µm motion accuracy. Build volume up to 350 × 320 × 325 mm. AMS 2 Pro system for automated multi-material printing.
FDM: Bambu Lab
FDM: Bambu Lab
Compatible with engineering-grade technical materials:
Ideal for: workshop tooling, functional and end-use parts, mechanical prototypes and short runs.
The selection of technology and material is not arbitrary: it depends on the required tolerances, the conditions of use of the part, compatibility with the working environment and the available lead time. At Mecautil we decide this together with the client before manufacturing.
The difference of working with additive manufacturing at a machining workshop is that it is assessed by the same technical team that will manufacture the final part. There is no separate 3D department operating independently: there is a unified technical approach that decides which process to apply at each stage of the project.
When a project comes in, we assess upfront whether any phase benefits from additive manufacturing: prototyping, tooling, validation or direct production. We do not wait for the client to ask.
We choose between SLA and FDM based on the required tolerances, conditions of use, the material of the final part and the available lead time. We do not have a single technology to sell.
Printed parts go through the same dimensional and quality control as any machined part. They are not “mock-ups”: they are functional parts.
If the printed part is a step before final machining, the transition is internal. No supplier changes, no loss of technical information, no coordination delays.
It depends on the technology. With SLA, tolerances of ±0.1 mm can be achieved on small and medium parts, with very high surface quality. With FDM, typical tolerances range from ±0.2 to ±0.5 mm depending on geometry and material, and the surface finish is rougher. When the project requires tighter tolerances – in the order of hundredths of a millimetre – or critical fitting surfaces, machining remains the appropriate solution. If you are unsure whether the tolerance you need is achievable with additive manufacturing, ask us: we assess it case by case.
Yes. It is one of the most practical uses of additive manufacturing in industrial environments, and is directly related to our repair and maintenance service. If you have the original part we can use it as a dimensional reference. If you have drawings, we work from them. And if you have neither but can describe the functional requirement, we assess whether we can reproduce it or design an equivalent alternative. The goal is that a discontinued part does not stop your production.
They are terms used interchangeably, but with a contextual nuance: “3D printing” is the common colloquial term, while “additive manufacturing” is the technical term covering all processes that build objects by adding material layer by layer. In industrial settings, additive manufacturing is used to emphasise that it is a real production process, not a domestic or amateur prototyping application.
The technologies we use – SLA and FDM – work with a wide range of materials: high-performance technical resins, thermoplastics with different mechanical properties, flexible materials, flame retardants, chemical-resistant materials or those with carbon or glass fibre reinforcement, among others. Each material has its specific properties in terms of strength, working temperature, surface finish or behaviour under load. For final metal parts requiring tight tolerances, machining remains our primary tool; in these cases we also advise on the most suitable combination.
At Mecautil, additive manufacturing is not a mass printing service: it is a technical tool we apply as part of industrial projects. Lead times depend on the geometry, technology, material and the overall context of the project. Before confirming any order, we carry out a technical assessment and give you a real lead time. If you have an urgent need, contact us directly.
The most common digital formats are STL, STEP and OBJ, but it is not essential to start from a 3D file. As with the rest of our projects, we can also work from a physical sample, technical drawings on paper or PDF, dimensioned sketches or simply from a detailed functional requirement. Our technical team assesses each case and determines the best way to proceed to ensure the result matches what you need.
The same sectors we operate in with machining: general industry, automotive, energy, aerospace, electronics and pharmaceuticals, among others. Additive manufacturing is especially useful in development and prototyping phases, or when specific tooling is needed for a particular production line.
This is precisely one of the cases where we add the most value. We can manufacture a printed prototype to validate the geometry and, once approved, move directly to machining the final part. All within the same workflow, without having to coordinate with different suppliers.
Additive manufacturing is especially efficient for single parts, prototypes and short runs. But there are specific cases – complex geometries, parts with internal channels, difficult-to-machine materials or designs requiring unit-level customisation – where additive manufacturing can be equally or more competitive than machining even for medium or long runs. There is no universal answer: it depends on the part, the material, the tolerance and the volume. We advise without obligation to find the most efficient solution in each case.