From inspection fixtures to pipe elbows: 3D printing scales up

3D extrusion printing From inspection fixtures to pipe elbows: 3D printing scales up

2026-10-06 Source: Herrmann Additive 4 min Reading Time

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Switching between fine-detail printing and high material throughput, a variable nozzle enables Herrmann Additive to produce large plastic components directly from pellets. Its VFGF process offers an alternative to tooling-based production, with applications ranging from lightweight automotive fixtures to a 205 kg pipe elbow.

Large-format 3D printing application: an automotive inspection fixture that is precise and light enough to handle without a crane.(Source: Herrmann Additive) — Large-format 3D printing application: an automotive inspection fixture that is precise and light enough to handle without a crane.
(Source: Herrmann Additive)

The team behind the Queen 1 is back with a new concept: Herrmann Additive produces large plastic components using 3D extrusion printing, acting as a development partner and full-service provider. From feasibility assessment to installation-ready components, the company offers cost-effective production. It has been operating successfully with this business model since 2025. Four Queen 1 systems are in operation at Herrmann Additive, with a fifth to follow by the end of 2026. More than 5,000 kg of material has been printed. The largest individual project in the company’s history has been completed, and an EN 45545-certified material is already proving its suitability in railway applications.

The key to producing XXL components is Herrmann Additive’s VFGF process (Variable Fused Granulate Fabrication). Rapid component availability, short lead times and substantial potential cost savings compared with tooling-based processes are among the characteristics of this manufacturing approach. Using plastic pellets rather than expensive polymer filament makes production cost-effective from single parts through to medium-sized production runs. Its distinctive feature is a variable nozzle (Variable Fusing), which can switch between turbo and detail modes as the component is built. This flexibility enables high build rates for large 3D components. Interested customers can have their application assessed through a free feasibility check.

The central element of the VFGF process is a variable nozzle for material deposition. The “V” stands for “Variable”, supplementing “FGF”, or Fused Granulate Fabrication, which refers to 3D extrusion printing with pellets.

3D pellet printing in the USA: an Exam 255 at the Fraunhofer USA Center Midwest in East Lansing, Michigan. (Source: Aim 3D)

What distinguishes a variable nozzle? It can print quickly at high material throughput in turbo mode, for example in infill areas inside the geometry, while ensuring high precision elsewhere on the component in detail mode. The variable nozzle on Herrmann Additive’s Queen 1 system uses a combination of 1.5 mm for detail mode and 3 mm for turbo mode, depositing material layer by layer, as 3D printers generally do. This enables cost-effective production of very large components without tooling, combining high resolution with short production times and low material costs. Maximum travel speed is 500 mm/s, while material output can vary between 150 and 2,000 g/h.

In detail mode, the variable nozzle produces fine features. These might include a surface requiring an accurate finish for high-gloss painting or features designed to accommodate fasteners. Component requirements may also include slopes or overhangs requiring support structures, as well as bridges or thin-walled bosses. This enables the production of complex or thin-walled components. Limited geometric freedom has previously been the main constraint in 3D printing with plastic pellets.

Turbo mode, by contrast, enables the short build times needed to make additive manufacturing of very large components economically competitive with conventional processes such as injection moulding, milling, hand lay-up or rotational moulding. Turbo mode is selected for infill areas or reinforcing ribs on the rear of components in non-visible areas.

During design, the printing instructions for the Queen 1 system specify which areas of the component require detail or turbo mode, with simulations used to validate these choices. This also gives designers scope to use bio-inspired structures and reduce material consumption through lightweight design.

Dennis Herrmann, Managing Director of Herrmann Additive, says: “We are back with a concept that works: today, our focus is on the finished component for our customers. Our experience from seven years of machine development goes into every component we deliver. Specifically, we see ourselves as a development partner for customers for whom tooling-based processes are not an option because of low production volumes.”

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Gallery

The VFGF extrusion printhead with variable nozzle diameter enables controlled component build-up (schematic).(Source: Herrmann Additive)

Large-format 3D printing application: a rear light carrier produced as a complex, thin-walled functional prototype for caravan manufacturing.(Source: Herrmann Additive)

Large-format 3D printing application: a large, functional pipe elbow for hydroelectric power plants.(Source: Herrmann Additive)

Gallery with 7 images

Application example: a complex, thin-walled functional prototype for caravan manufacturing

Polyamide GF25 was processed on the Queen 1 to produce a complex, thin-walled functional prototype for caravan manufacturing, using a layer height of 0.4 mm. The material was selected for its flame retardancy and properties close to those of the intended production material.

The component weighs 31 kg, including support structures. Printing the accurate component with its fine surface finish took 128 hours. Short lead times and the elimination of tooling costs were the decisive factors in the customer’s choice of VFGF.

Application example: a precise, lightweight assembly and inspection fixture for automotive production

Assembly and inspection fixtures are important applications for 3D printing because of their low production volumes. Herrmann Additive produced a 1.3 m-long inspection fixture for an automotive supplier using polyamide reinforced with 25 percent glass fibre (PA GF25). It was printed in less than 24 hours, with a positional tolerance tighter than ±0.2 mm over one metre of component length.

For the customer, however, weight was the decisive factor: the fixture weighs just 8 kg. In this case, lightweight design means that an operator can now carry it under one arm to where it is needed. Previously, a crane was required.

Application example: a large, functional pipe elbow for a hydroelectric power plant

The pipe elbow is a 205 kg component that must connect accurately to adjoining pipes, form leak-tight joints and withstand high operating pressures. PLA (polylactic acid) was selected as the material.

Layer heights across the component range from 0.4 to 1.2 mm. Due to its large volume, printing took 340 hours. The key criteria for the user were rapid availability, with delivery in four weeks instead of 16, significantly shorter development times and, above all, a 50 percent cost saving compared with a conventional manufacturing process.

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