Krones' production lines are built for speed — producing, filling, and packing products at massive volumes. But at that scale, every second of downtime matters. When a machine stops running, companies risk losing significant revenue, which is why maximizing uptime is critical.

Krones machines are known for their reliability, but like any equipment, parts eventually wear down and need replacing. The problem is that stockpiling spare parts isn't a practical solution — it's expensive, unsustainable, and many of those parts may never actually get used. Every spare part still has to be produced, inspected, and shipped, whether or not it's ever installed.

Every part produced for a Krones machine is checked for the highest quality.

To give customers more uptime, speed up part development, and produce emergency spares on demand, Krones turned to 3D printing. Outsourcing prototype production is costly and can take weeks to turn around. With UltiMaker 3D printers, Krones cut that timeline dramatically — producing prototypes in a single day, and sometimes in just a few hours.

That speed changed how Krones approached design. Faster prototyping meant faster testing and iteration, which led to better-performing, longer-lasting parts. The result: more reliable machines, higher uptime for customers, and a smaller environmental footprint.

3D printing in-house has enabled Krones to produce critical parts for their machines.

As Krones tested prototypes, they found that 3D-printed parts often met the same performance requirements as traditionally manufactured ones — at a lower cost and with reduced weight, a meaningful advantage for many applications. 3D printing also opened the door to using different materials depending on the job, whether a part needed more flexibility or ESD-safe properties.

This shift turned 3D printing at Krones from an internal efficiency tool into something bigger: a new revenue stream, offered as an added service to customers.

Keeping a large inventory of spare parts on hand isn't always realistic — but when a part is needed urgently, waiting days or weeks for shipping isn't an option either. Traditional ordering and shipping timelines, combined with regional stock limitations and customs delays, can make it hard to guarantee fast, reliable service everywhere Krones operates. That's where local 3D printing changes the equation.

Now, when a customer needs a spare part, they can order it directly through the Krones.shop, the company's online customer touchpoint. If the part is a candidate for 3D printing, it gets produced locally on UltiMaker printers — no need to stockpile large quantities of spares across every location. Customers simply print what they need, drastically cutting downtime.

The impact is significant: part delivery times that once took weeks now take days, or in many cases, just hours.

Krones now prints across more than 10 locations, running a fleet of nearly 50 UltiMaker S5 and S7 printers. Recently, the company added UltiMaker's newest printer, the Factor 4, opening up even more possibilities.

The addition of UltiMaker's new Factor 4 3D printer has enabled Krones to provide more support to its customers.

Johannes Karl, Head of Customer 3D Solutions at Krones, shared his excitement about what the Factor 4 brings to the table:

"We're excited about the potential of the Factor 4. The Factor 4 has taken our capabilities to the next level. With support for stronger and more durable materials, we're able to produce parts that are not only tougher but also offer greater flexibility with softer materials."

The Factor 4's direct drive printhead makes printing with soft materials easier and more reliable, opening the door to softer, grippier materials that are ideal for applications like grippers, flexible components, and protective parts.

The printer also supports higher printing temperatures and features a better-insulated build chamber, allowing engineers to work with advanced materials like UltiMaker's PPS CF — a material capable of substituting for PEEK or even steel in demanding applications.

These new capabilities are pushing innovation at Krones even further, enabling the team to offer even more value to their customers.

Bernd Baldauf, Head of Global eBusiness – Global Digital Content Management – Global 3D Customer Solutions at Krones, summed up the company's vision:

"Our goal is to grow closer to our customers and become their solution partner. Providing rapid, high-quality parts on demand, and continuously improving our service offerings in Krones quality. With UltiMaker's innovative solutions, we're well on our way to achieving that."

Feel free to reach out to us at info@3duniverse.org and our team can help answer your questions and guide you to the right printer for the job!