Case Study: GRATZER! Technologies accelerates Swarovski crystal applicator development with Protolabs CNC services

GRATZER! Technologies GmbH & Co. KG - Customer Case Study

GRATZER! Technologies GmbH & Co. KG, founded by engineer Roland Gratzer in Vienna, needed a fast, cost-effective way to develop a precision applicator for Swarovski crystals. The product had to handle very small parts, tight tolerances, friction, and applied pressure, while the team was still deciding on the final design and material, making traditional tooling or slower prototyping methods a poor fit. Protolabs’ Firstcut CNC service was used to support the development process.

Protolabs supplied CNC-machined parts in multiple materials, allowing GRATZER! Technologies to test ABS, PA 66, POM, PEEK, PBT, and glass-fiber-filled plastics before settling on ABS and POM. The parts were delivered in just a few days, with quotes provided within a day, and were 30–50% cheaper than the SLA process while offering accuracy of +/-0.1 mm and quality close to injection molding. Protolabs helped accelerate product development, simplify the design, and prove feasibility quickly, enabling the product to move toward launch and an expected sales volume of around 3 million units.