Codeval Aluminum's Journey with 3D Printing

The Challenge

CODEVAL ALUMINUM SL was established in Valencia, Spain in the early 1990s and is dedicated to producing aluminum systems for architecture. Aluminum has become a popular choice for various applications due to its versatility. The company's goal is to utilize its expertise and experience in the structural aluminum industry to design and develop top-quality products that align with construction concepts.

The investments made in Research & Development & Innovation have led to the development of new, improved products that offer modern, functional construction solutions with exceptional aesthetics. These advancements have enabled the company to expand into foreign markets like France, the Netherlands, Italy, and Belgium.

In addition to the existing structural and enclosure systems already available in the market, such as light facades (ventilated facades, curtain walls, etc.), aluminum windows and doors (leaf, sliding, hinged, tilt & turn, etc.), shades, and security shutters, Codeval is continuously developing and adding new innovative solutions for its design and finishes.

One such example of this is its bioclimatic pergolas. However, Codeval has not limited itself to the manufacture and distribution of high-quality, durable, and energy-efficient aluminum systems. The company has also introduced new services that allow it to execute turnkey projects customized to the customer's specific requirements.

“We need to test more than 20 different plastic prototypes and numerous references every month. The savings we have obtained with Markforged’s Mark Two 3D printer have been huge.”

– Rubén Jordá, Mechanical Design Engineer from the Technical Department

Codeval faced a major challenge in their technical office to reduce the time it takes to bring their products to market. A few years ago, they realized that they had to stop making calculations on paper and requesting molds without first validating the part.

In 2019, they set up a design department equipped with a 3D printer. This allowed them to produce prototype parts and verify them before creating the final molds. Codeval has reported that this new approach to testing and launching products such as pergolas has been a game-changer. They have achieved a time saving of almost 70%, and have also saved money by avoiding the need to repeat molds or make post-production adjustments for necessary variations.

"The Mark Two 3D printer with Onyx material and continuous carbon fiber reinforcement allows us to make structural parts that are also weather resistant, which is a great advantage given the application.”

– Rubén Jordá, Mechanical Design Engineer from the Technical Department

The Solution and Future

“The choice ended up being a fused filament printer because of its ease of use, accuracy, repeatability, and reliability, as well as the low maintenance required,” explains Rubén Jordá. “We love the Onyx material because it has greater dimensional stability than many other plastics and a high-quality surface finish”.

Codeval Aluminum SL has completed the ‘Implementation of resources for the design, productization, and 3D printing of parts’ project (IMDIGA/2021/468) with the support and co-financing of the Valencian Institute of Business Competitiveness and the ERDF's SME Digitalization Projects (DIGITALIZA-CV) in the 2021 call. They are currently utilizing the Mark Two printer 24/7.

Recently, Codeval Aluminum introduced TPU as a new material for the Mark Two printer. They plan to use TPU to produce sealing gaskets, test complete prototypes, and manufacture out-of-stock spare parts.

“We are very interested in evaluating the Metal X™ system to make components in 17-4PH stainless steel. We believe it can complement some of our products that require customization in the design phase and can be integrated with our aluminum structures,” explains Rubén Jordá.