general manufacturing Invicta Digital PA spare parts XPRO SL

Realization of flange clamps and carters for hydromechanics in 3D printing

Published on

November 7, 2024

The company SIME Idromeccanica has been manufacturing sprinklers since 1951. From the first models produced, some 50 have been added over time, ranging from the smallest for gardening to the largest for agriculture and football pitches.

Market demand

The continuous technological innovation on the market has led to the demand to develop new products in line with requirements. In fact, the latest models can be conveniently programmed via app: they allow the soil to be irrigated perfectly according to the shape of the field, thus avoiding waste of water, energy and time.

The solution

The company's attitude to embrace new technological methods has led them to approach 3D printing both to support the development of new products, by studying their prototype, and to guarantee excellent service and reliability to their long-standing customers. Some of their products are in fact more than 60 years old, so finding spare parts can be a problem. 3D printing provides an answer to this need by being able to supply all the necessary spare parts, produced in small batches.

“We chose DWS Systems’ INVICTA DIGITAL PA material because it is a very strong material that has a good percentage of flexibility. In this way we guarantee a quality service for our most loyal customers by providing spare parts, which can no longer be produced in traditional methods.”

Alessandro Brunazzi

Additive Manufacturing Specialist

The role of DWS Systems

SIME Idromeccanica was looking for a solution to produce good quality, high performance 3D printed parts. It was also looking for a very strong material with a good percentage of flexibility with mechanical properties similar to ABS and Nylon, suitable for both prototypes and functional parts. DWS Systems supported the company with initial advice and the printing of some prototypes, which were then tested on SIME products. The customer’s need was also to have a versatile printing area, which would print both small parts such as spare parts and large parts such as covering elements for their sprinklers. SIME Idromeccanica now uses the XPRO SL 3D printer with Invicta Digital PA55 material.

The benefit of 3D printing

Possibility of adding quality services: SIME now produces repair parts on products that are more than 60 years old.
Study of new products: The possibility of prototyping the executive design and testing it in a short timeframe speeds up the realization and study of new products.