ZIKO 
Additive Manufacturing & 3D Printing
Components made from high-performance and fluoropolymer plastics – from small-batch production to prototypes, based in Eisingen near Pforzheim.
Components made from high-performance and fluoropolymer plastics – from small-batch production to prototypes, based in Eisingen near Pforzheim.
At ZIKO Technik, we manufacture components from high-performance and fluoropolymer plastics – from prototypes and spare parts to small-batch and series production, using both the pellet and the filament process. As an industrial 3D printing provider in the Enzkreis district, we work for customers in Pforzheim, the Stuttgart region and beyond.
This includes materials that only a handful of 3D printing service providers offer: PEEK CF30, PEI 9085, PSU, PVDF (Kynar), PPS-GF40, PARA-GF50 and the tungsten-filled PA-W.
Which process fits depends mainly on the material and the size of the part. We choose it together with you.
Typical: fixtures, housings and brackets made from glass-fiber reinforced polyamides, PPS or polypropylene, plus soft sealing and damping elements made from TPE and balancing weights made from tungsten-filled PA-W.
Typical: detailed functional parts – such as gears and sliding elements made from POM, parts in contact with aggressive media made from PVDF, or parts that have to withstand high temperatures.
Additive manufacturing does not replace every conventional process – but in these cases it plays to its strengths.
With the pellet process we print with the same compound that will later be used in injection molding – a PA6-GF30, for example. This lets you test early with the right material. Because printed parts have direction-dependent properties, we discuss in advance how meaningful the test will be.
For quantities where an injection mold does not pay off, we produce directly from the 3D data. A design change means a new file – not a tool modification.
If the tool no longer exists or supply has stalled, we reproduce the part – as a single piece if needed. If there is no 3D data, we create it from the original part by reverse engineering.
Internal channels, undercuts or several parts in one: geometries that would be complex to mold or machine are produced in a single step in 3D printing.
A few examples of what our materials are suited for – each with a direct link to the matching plastics in the materials database.
Stiff, dimensionally stable materials for assembly aids, gauges and gripper fingers.
Glass-fiber reinforced materials →Carbon-fiber reinforced plastics combine high stiffness with low density.
Carbon-fiber reinforced materials →Fittings, brackets and vessel parts that have to withstand aggressive media.
Highly chemical-resistant materials →Flame-retardant materials for housings, covers and insulating parts.
Materials with UL 94 V-0 →Parts close to heat sources, motors or heating processes.
Heat deflection from 150 °C →Tungsten-filled polyamide for balancing weights, counterweights and lead-free shielding.
To the PA-W material →Our additive manufacturing is backed by our own measuring laboratory. On request, we inspect your printed parts before they leave our site – from a single measurement with an inspection report to a first article inspection report.
We carry out form, position, surface and contour measurements on our MarForm MMQ 400 and MarSurf SD 140. So you know not only that your part was printed, but also how accurately.
Large quantities. Above a certain volume, injection molding is cheaper. We are happy to discuss where that threshold lies for your part.
Direction dependence. Across the layers a printed part is less strong. We therefore choose the part orientation according to the load.
Surfaces and fits. Printed surfaces show the typical layer structure. Very smooth surfaces or tight fits require post-processing.
From single parts and prototypes to small-batch and series production. We discuss case by case from which quantity another process becomes more economical.
Usually not quite. In the layer direction they reach a large share of the injection-molded values depending on the material, across the layers considerably less. That is why we orient the part so that the main load acts in the layer direction.
That depends on size, geometry and material. We tell you in advance what is realistic and, on request, check critical dimensions in our measuring laboratory.
Ideally a 3D model, plus quantity, preferred material and the operating conditions – such as temperature, media or load. A drawing helps with tolerances. If there are no drawings or 3D data, we are happy to take over the design for you. Just get in touch!
Get in touch. Many injection-molding compounds can be processed with the pellet process. Whether yours is one of them, we clarify in a material trial.