{"id":9263,"date":"2026-01-08T08:40:11","date_gmt":"2026-01-08T07:40:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/prototal.info\/cases\/serial-production-of-lighting-control-components-with-industrial-3d-printing\/"},"modified":"2026-04-27T17:21:29","modified_gmt":"2026-04-27T15:21:29","slug":"macula","status":"publish","type":"case_studies","link":"https:\/\/prototal.info\/uk\/cases\/macula\/","title":{"rendered":"Serial Production of Lighting Control Components with Industrial 3D Printing"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Prototal Denmark supports Macula, a subsidiary of Litecom, in the <a href=\"https:\/\/prototal.info\/uk\/solutions\/serial-production\/\">serial production<\/a> of polymer components for advanced lighting control systems used in the entertainment industry. By transitioning from in-house prototyping to <a href=\"https:\/\/prototal.info\/uk\/services\/industrial-3d-printing\/\">Industrial 3D Printing<\/a>, Macula was able to scale production rapidly while maintaining tight tolerances, high surface quality, and a fast time to market. <\/p>\n\n<p>Litecom is a Danish company specialising in technical solutions for large-scale live productions, including international events such as X Factor, the Zulu Comedy Awards, and Eurovision. Building on their experience in live entertainment, Litecom identified a need for more advanced and flexible lighting control elements. This led to the creation of Macula, a subsidiary focused on developing and commercialising a new lighting control system for the entertainment industry.  <\/p>\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>The Challenge<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n<p>During the initial development phase, Litecom produced prototypes using in-house FDM 3D printers. While suitable for early testing, this approach presented limitations: <\/p>\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Insufficient tolerances and surface detail for end-use components<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Limited suitability for series production<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Constraints when scaling production to meet external demand<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n<p>As product maturity increased and interest in the Macula system grew, Litecom required a manufacturing method capable of supporting production-grade quality and scalable volumes without introducing tooling delays or high upfront investments.<\/p>\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Manufacturing Approach<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n<p>Following an initial evaluation of industrial additive manufacturing options, Litecom engaged with our <a href=\"https:\/\/prototal.info\/uk\/about-us\/locations\/denmark\/\">Prototal site in Denmark<\/a> to support the transition from prototyping to serial production.<\/p>\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Technology and Material Selection<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Industrial 3D Printing with the technology <a href=\"https:\/\/prototal.info\/uk\/industrial-3d-printing\/polymer\/sls-3d-printing-service-industrial-additive-manufacturing\/\">Selective Laser Sintering (SLS)<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/prototal.info\/?page_id=4692\">PA 2210 FR<\/a>, chosen for dimensional stability, durability, and flame retardant capabilities<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Post-processing including surface treatment and dyeing prior to delivery<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n<p>Industrial 3D Printing in SLS enabled the Macula components to be produced with significantly higher precision and repeatability compared to desktop printing, while remaining suitable for series production.<\/p>\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Scaling to Serial Production<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n<p>After several design iterations, demand for the Macula system increased rapidly. Using Industrial 3D Printing, Macula was able to: <\/p>\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Increase production capacity without tooling changes<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Move directly from validated prototypes to serial production<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Respond quickly to market demand<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n<p>This flexibility allowed the newly established subsidiary to enter the market without delays typically associated with traditional manufacturing ramp-up.<\/p>\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Key Advantages of Industrial 3D Printing<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n<p>The use of Industrial 3D Printing supported Macula\u2019s product development and production strategy in three key areas:<\/p>\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Design Freedom<\/h4>\n\n<p>Component geometry could be optimised for functionality without the constraints of traditional manufacturing methods, enabling greater integration and design efficiency.<\/p>\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Controlled Production Costs<\/h4>\n\n<p>Production costs remained predictable from prototype through to serial production, without the need for molds or tooling investments.<\/p>\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Fast Time to Market<\/h4>\n\n<p>The ability to move directly from design to production-ready parts enabled a short and efficient development cycle, supporting rapid market entry<\/p>\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Ongoing Production<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n<p>Today, Prototal is responsible for the serial production of handles for the Macula system. The components are manufactured using SLS in PA2200, <a href=\"https:\/\/prototal.info\/uk\/services\/industrial-3d-printing\/polymer\/post-processing\/\">post-processed<\/a>, dyed, and delivered to Macula for integration of electronics and final assembly. <\/p>\n\n<p>This case demonstrates how industrial 3D printing can function as a primary manufacturing method for series-produced components in the entertainment technology sector. By combining scalable SLS production with consistent quality and design flexibility, Prototal supported Macula in moving efficiently from concept to market-ready product. <\/p>\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Prototal Denmark supports Macula, a subsidiary of Litecom, in the serial production of polymer components for advanced lighting control systems used in the entertainment industry. By transitioning from in-house prototyping to Industrial 3D Printing, Macula was able to scale production rapidly while maintaining tight tolerances, high surface quality, and a fast time to market. Litecom [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":9264,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","categories":[175,95],"class_list":["post-9263","case_studies","type-case_studies","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-electronic-applications","category-industrial-3d-printing"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.2 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Serial Production of Lighting Control Components with Industrial 3D Printing | Prototal<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/prototal.info\/uk\/cases\/macula\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Serial Production of Lighting Control Components with Industrial 3D Printing | Prototal\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Prototal Denmark supports Macula, a subsidiary of Litecom, in the serial production of polymer components for advanced lighting control systems used in the entertainment industry. 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