EDS Robotics is a company that focuses on work automation. They develop and make tailor-made automation lines and tools for clients’ needs. And they use a lot of 3D printing in the process!

EDS Robotics is a Spanish company that is part of the Vraia Corp. group. The company was established 25 years ago. Its clients are huge automotive, manufacturing, pharma, and food processing companies – all from Spain (we can’t name them, but you can take an educated guess :-)). What makes EDS unique is how they use 3D printing: For them, 3D printing is an integral part of their workflow. And they showed us how it could benefit any company.

Let’s print a… Donut!

“We start printing in the morning, and in the afternoon, we are already testing the parts on the machine,” says Alberto Pradas Martínez, CEO of EDS Robotics, who takes us to their 3D printing laboratory.

There, Original Prusa 3D printers run all day long under the careful watch of Arturo Espinoza, lead part designer. And what do they print?
“A slice of salmon, piece of broccoli… Or would you like some donuts?” smiles Arturo and offers us some plastic “refreshments.” They look realistic, but they would be hard to swallow, even for Homer Simpson… 🙂

Printed food is used for machine testing and settings. The machines need to be calibrated for the correct food shapes, but real food would deteriorate over time, so plastic props are used with great success.

3D printing allows EDS Robotics to be flexible with manufacturing and production. They print parts to check feasibility and quickly design for prototyping and testing.
“If a prototype passes all tests, it’s used to make a functional part. And those have a very long service life,” says Arturo.

On several complex models, Arturo shows us how 3D printing helps them produce parts that would take forever to create by machining.
“This one would take at least two days to make,” says Arturo. “A 3D-printed model to test the functionality takes just a few hours.”

Every product has a 3D-printed part!

After Arturo showed us several impressive prints and prototypes, we were eager to see how they were used in the production lines. We moved to the assembly area, where all the material and prototype testing is done.

It looks like a high-tech factory, with lots of robots and assembly lines—all for different kinds of production. Each has a 3D-printed part, like arms for grabbing products or camera holders… Some parts, for example, protect critical parts such as wiring during the robot’s movement.

There, we met Victor Cercós Llombart, technical director of EDS Robotics, who is responsible for all their production.
“Our customers need flexibility of the sizes and structures they ask EDS Robotics to create. For this, we need to do a lot of testing, which requires a lot of 3D printing,” says Victor while showing us 3D-printed robot claws that need to handle the goods carefully and gently.

They use all sorts of 3D-printed parts in different sizes, resolutions, and measurements daily, aiming for the best possible end product.
“3D printing helps us present projects to a client in a design and assembly phase,” says Victor. They can also demonstrate a proof-of-concept.

“You can find 3D printing in EVERY project we make,” smiles Victor. “Both in prototyping and the final product,” he adds.

Choosing a reliable 3D printer

Regarding the brand choice, Victor and Arturo answer: Original Prusa!
“We use Original Prusa 3D printers because they are extremely fast and of excellent quality. 3D printing is very beneficial for our work,” says Arturo.
“What I like most is the reliability and great print quality – that lets us have a continuous workflow,” adds Victor.

Usually, they use PLA, but some projects require flexible materials – and, lately, carbon fiber.
In the future, EDS Robotics would like to increase its 3D printing staff and printer arsenal—particularly the Original Prusa XL—to increase the size of prints. They also want to employ an SLA printer (but they refuse to tell for what purpose :-)).

According to Arturo, the industry will need more 3D printers in the future — not just for prototyping but also for direct manufacturing of 3D-printed parts.
“I see a future when a functional part can be made in a couple of hours using a 3D printer. It would be very beneficial for the industry to invest in 3D printers,” he says.

So… How many 3D printers will you need?