Since its launch in October 2018, Spanflug has attracted 3,000 users to its online shop. The key technology of the platform is an algorithm that has been optimized based on over 20,000 components. It evaluates custom turning and milling parts in terms of their manufacturability in just a few seconds and calculates a precise, market-driven price at which users can order the parts directly on the platform. "With Spanflug, ordering a highly complex CNC parts is just as easy as ordering a box of screws. Ideally, the customer needs just one minute from uploading the part to completing the order," says CEO and co-founder Dr. Markus Westermeier, explaining the ordering process. "What our customers particularly appreciate about Spanflug is the time savings and the fact that they have their manufacturing problem off the table immediately."
The automatic price calculation is constantly being further developed based on the experience gained from 20,000 uploaded components. "As a result, we can now offer our customers far more precise prices for their parts than when the platform was launched a year ago," says Dr. Markus Westermeier. With its clear focus on CNC turning and milling parts, Spanflug currently offers the largest part coverage on the market.
The Munich-based startup has also significantly expanded the delivery program and the functionality of the online shop based on customer feedback. In the meantime, the CNC manufacturing platform has doubled the selection of materials to more than 40 and offers 14 different surface treatments.
The customer inquiries received in the online shop cover a wide range of parts. The variation ranges from the smallest parts made of stainless steel with a length of just 4 mm and a diameter of 2 mm to the largest milled aluminum plate to date with dimensions of 1505 mm × 1120 mm × 20 mm and a weight of 95 kg. For what is probably the most complex tool steel part to date, 30 different shape and position tolerances with accuracies of up to 8 μm were automatically read and processed from 16 main, sectional and detailed views of the technical drawing. The aim was to maintain this accuracy requirement even after plasma nitriding. The underlying algorithm checks all this information in seconds, performs a manufacturability analysis, and determines the price and the shortest possible delivery time. The customer can order the parts directly from the online shop. They are manufactured at one of Spanflug's manufacturing partners in Germany and delivered on the desired date from 10 days.
