Setup Technician Training Course for Additive Plastics Manufacturing at the SKZ

Additive manufacturing has long been more than just a tool for rapid prototyping in plastics processing. In aerospace, automotive, electronics, and medical technology, functional components, assembly aids, and small series are produced directly from CAD data. For 3D printing to prove itself in series production, companies must master the entire process chain: material selection, data preparation, process windows, post-processing, and inspection all interact.

With the course “Certified Setup Technician – Additive Manufacturing,” the SKZ – Das Kunststoff-Zentrum aims to close this gap. The five-day advanced training program is aimed at setup technicians, technicians, and master craftsmen from production and manufacturing. Dates are scheduled for March 2 to 6, 2026, and October 19 to 23, 2026, at the Würzburg location; according to SKZ, the practical component accounts for 50 percent and takes place on industrially used 3D printers in the technical center.

In terms of content, the course covers three process families: extrusion-based processes, powder-bed-based approaches, and resin-based photopolymer processes. In practice, control parameters such as layer height, part orientation, temperature control, energy input, and slicing strategy are the focus, as they determine warpage, anisotropy, porosity, and surface quality. In addition, SKZ provides fundamentals for assessing application limits and economic efficiency.

Beyond machine operation, the course addresses safety and quality. The curriculum includes handling powders and resins, occupational safety measures, as well as the systematic analysis of typical defect patterns and suitable countermeasures. Tensile and impact tests, as well as post-processing ranging from mechanical finishing to surface treatment, are intended to support reproducible component properties.

“We specifically qualify skilled professionals for the safe, quality-oriented, and economical use of additive manufacturing processes in industrial practice,” says Irena Heuzeroth, Senior Trainer at SKZ in Würzburg. “In doing so, we close an important gap between technology, application, and the growing demands of additive plastics manufacturing.”

The offering fits a trend toward establishing additive manufacturing in plastics production as a controllable, auditable process. Anyone printing grippers, fixtures, or tooling must consider material behavior, process monitoring, and inspection criteria together, rather than simply starting a print job. This is precisely the interface at which the training course is aimed.