Case Study: Philips achieves €89,000 annual savings and fewer part failures with Materialise 3D printing

Philips’ Lightbulb Moment 3D Printing Becomes Essential Production Thinking

Philips, at its Turnhout lighting site, faced recurring part failures and a highly labor‑intensive assembly step that limited output. Seeking to reduce downtime from a bracket that cracked under repeated heating and to automate a manual 12‑bore gripper operation, Philips invited Materialise to evaluate how metal 3D printing could improve durability, simplify maintenance and enable automation.

Materialise co‑engineered and metal 3D‑printed a single‑structure lamp holder bracket that removed weld weak points (no failures in the first three months) and enabled “digital spares” printable in 10 days, cutting technician time and saving about €9,000/year. Materialise also produced an AlSi10Mg suction gripper with consolidated parts and internal channels that is lighter, provides better suction, enabled automation of the pick‑and‑place step, reduced cycle time, increased output and saves roughly €80,000/year — about €89,000 in total annual operational savings while also engaging Philips’ workforce in further 3D‑printing innovation.

Philips

Danny Van der Jonckheyd

Factory Engineering Designer