Durability Meets Lightweight Design: Collaboration and Simulation Make Alugear’s 3D-Printed Titanium Crankset 50% Lighter

Like many manufacturers, Alugear was very aware of the benefits of 3D printing, yet less sure of how to adopt the technology successfully. Who better to ask for advice, they thought, than a company like Materialise?

Our reputation as a production partner was one factor behind that decision, but not the most important. Rather, it was our ability to lead them through the entire 3D printing journey by combining design expertise with production scalability and business case guidance — helping lower costs and make the project feasible —  that made the partnership so attractive. 

“We don’t just print parts,” says Simone Cannella, Innovation Manager at Materialise. “We industrialize both the product and the production process to ensure the business case is feasible for all involved. It helps customers create better products and demonstrates that 3D printing is the ideal technology for the job. That makes us stand out in the 3D printing industry.”

So began an exciting project: introducing 3D printing into Alugear’s conventional production workflow.

Like in all successful cases, the first step was to identify the right application through a collaborative analysis of everything the company produces. Above all, the crankset for high-end mountain bikes stood out as an ideal candidate for 3D printing.

“When we saw the potential to create a lighter, stronger crankset capable of working in a variety of disciplines, we knew it was the perfect component to begin our 3D printing journey," says Dawid Dyngosz, co-founder of Alugear. "We knew 3D printing would provide the performance benefits we were looking for, and Materialise was the right partner to take us from concept to production. It was their 3D printing expertise that led us to pursue this project.”

The technology’s well-known ability to create durable, lightweight parts was a perfect match for Alugear’s demands: to create a single system that could be adapted to fit several disciplines, from MTB to racing bikes, and guarantee top quality for professional cyclists. It would need to be much lighter and stronger than traditionally manufactured counterparts while exceeding stringent ISO 4210 fatigue-resistance requirements.

Additional consideration was given to post-machining, as Alugear conducts the post-processing steps for every part in its own facility. The teams needed to ensure that the final design would remain within specified tolerances throughout CNC machining, guaranteeing uniformity at every stage.

“This was a particularly complex part of the process,” recalls Simone. “We had to find the sweet spot between mechanical properties, part performance, the proper design for post-processing, the cost of the project, the build orientation, and our printing parameters. These aspects usually conflict with one another, so finding our holistic optimum was crucial to making things happen for real.”

The mechanical testing and simulation features in Materialise Magics’ simulation module helped the teams keep that process on track. After calibrating the tool with our own 3D printing parameters, both teams ran a regular series of complex simulations to estimate the deviation after printing and ensure every part remained within spec.

“First, we co-designed parts for the specific load case, then we matched the resulting geometry with the manufacturing technology. We simulated the printed part, assessed its behavior, compared it against the post-processing and strength needs, then made the necessary corrections,” Simone tells us. “This went through several iterations, first to deliver our ideal raw part for post-processing, and then the ideal post-processed final part.”

Once satisfied with the results of these simulations, we created an ad-hoc nested build platform, optimizing the production mix and part quality. With the entire production process now locked in, Alugear could produce up to four lengths of its titanium crankset simultaneously and consistently, paving the way for series production.

"The goal wasn't to print a part as quickly as possible," says Dawid. "It was to combine several critical manufacturing solutions while maintaining low weight, incredible strength, and excellent design. Simulations allowed us to spot problems before they arose, and we then subjected subsequent prototypes to real-world fatigue testing at Alugear. Only in this way could we find the perfect combination, which helped optimize production costs." 

The result is a single-piece hollow titanium crankset, produced to ISO 4210 standards, which has withstood 100,000 fatigue cycles and weighs as little as 345 grams — over 50% lighter than the original. Its unique design includes CNC features (holders for four lengths), ensuring Alugear can conduct its post-processing without affecting structural integrity or causing deviations from the part specifications.

Printing in a single piece helps there, too. With no need for welding or the respective certification, there’s a smaller chance of faults, and the business case remains sustainable even when compared to traditional manufacturing alternatives. Its design is also self-supporting, helping to facilitate automation and reducing time spent on manual steps, making it suitable for series production.

"What truly makes this part groundbreaking in the industry is its repeatability. Alugear was the first to introduce a 3D-printed, fully CNC-machined titanium crankset that can be reliably mass-produced at an industrial level and cost-effectively," Dawid says proudly. "There are individual demonstration units and prototypes on the market, but they haven't been tested so rigorously or developed through such a refined process. Our product guarantees quality, durability, and performance, backed by experience and multiple prototyping stages."

Its market impact is echoed in the company’s portfolio. Because the process has been carefully engineered and controlled, the team can use it as a basis to create variations for other types of bikes. It won’t be long before they offer a wider range to suit different cycling formats alongside the six versions of this first model. 

As for the long-term adoption of 3D printing, Alugear has gained valuable experience. If they identify other parts within their portfolio that are suitable for the technology, they’re certainly open to repeating this experience — and Materialise is more than happy to assist them.

“The most exciting part is that our crankset is not just a prototype — we can make these consistently, at scale, and at a cost that makes sense for the market,” Dawid concludes. “And now that we’ve proven it works for us, we see huge potential to expand 3D printing across our portfolio.”