New on the Marketplace: Launhardt GmbH

The company Launhardt GmbH is active in the field of production and was founded in 1997 by Erich Launhardt with a focus on thermoplastic processing by extrusion and injection moulding. Typical products are steel cable ties with plastic sheathing, staple tongues and nose clips.

In 2019, the two sons, Martin and Christian Launhardt, joined the company. As a source of ideas and with experience from his doctorate in the field of selective laser sintering, Dr. Martin Launhardt has laid the foundation for the development of another industry within the company:

-  Industrial powder-based 3D printing and the
-  development of new innovative 3D printing powders

Martin and Christian Launhardt took over the Executive Board in 2021 and have since significantly expanded the 3D printing business, including founding and establishing several new brands and securing a firm place in the industry.

-  PowderMonkeys
-  SpheroFlex

What Launhardt can do

At Launhardt, we understand that further development and research are not rocket science. With the small but very efficient and powerful team at Launhardt, we can implement internal and external issues with which we are confronted quickly, dynamically and through short official channels. This allows us to implement new materials, products, manufacturing or finishing processes quickly and easily. 

Finding solutions

At Launhardt, our technicians, engineers, production workers and office staff will find an economical solution to any problem. With the know-how that we combine at Launhardt, we can work out the best solution for our customers. This can be e.g.

Economical 3D printing at Launhardt

In the field of 3D printing, we rely heavily on powder-based 3D printing (Powder Bed Fusion, PBF). These additive manufacturing processes, both selective laser sintering (SLS) and high-speed sintering (HSS), offer the best conditions for cost-effective component production in 3D printing for series production.  

We develop our own process steps, systems and technologies in order to make these processes economical while maintaining the best and most consistent quality, but we also cooperate with many partners, e.g. Ossberger, Voxeljet, Fraunhofer IPA, etc.

Polyamide 12 (PA12) represents an inexpensive but worthwhile entry into industrial 3D printing. This material offers high strength, high heat resistance and very high resolution accuracy. In addition, the components produced in this way can be mechanically and chemically smoothed and colored.

New and innovative 3D printing materials from Launhardt

In addition to polyamide 12 powders, other materials are increasingly in demand for 3D-printed components. At Launhardt, we are focusing precisely on this aspect and are driving the further development of new and innovative powder materials for industrial 3D printing. 

For example, it is difficult to produce very soft elastic materials using conventional powdering processes. For this reason, it has not yet been possible to provide TPU with a low Shore hardness of A80 for SLS. Where others stop their development, Launhardt goes one step further.

Launhardt offers 3D-printed TPU components with Shore hardnesses from A85, A75, A65 down to A55.  

Post-processing

All 3D-printed components are directly recognizable as such. All 3D printed components manufactured by Launhardt are post-processed in order to create a positive haptic and visual impression for the respective end application. This begins with powder removal and continues with jet smoothing or vibratory grinding to smooth the components through to colouring, chemical smoothing and functionalization of 3D printed components.

Before a single component leaves Launhardt's production halls, they are meticulously checked for quality. In addition to the ISO 9001 certified standard, we always follow the practical and high standards in maintaining the quality of the components, in which everything is precisely documented.

Further developments at Launhardt

In addition to its own and internal developments, Launhardt makes use of networking opportunities and the symbiosis of research centers, universities and other industrial partners to solve new problems sensibly and effectively. In this context, Launhardt is working with government-funded research projects and partners to develop new and innovative plastic powders for industrial 3D printing.

The focus here is on market demand, technical feasibility and, ultimately, cost-effectiveness. For example, research is being conducted into optimizing the refresh rate of flame-retardant and halogen-free polyamide12 powders in order to offer the market cost-effective solutions.