In August 2026, we would like to extend our warmest congratulations to Gezim on his 35th anniversary with the company!
We would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your consistently excellent commitment and loyalty.
Congratulations!
This summer, Sabahaddin Demirkan will receive his certificate of competence.
He may now call himself a Polymechanic (EFZ) and we are delighted to continue to count him amongst the BSF team.
BSF Bünter AG in Heerbrugg, St. Gallen, invested in additive manufacturing at an early stage Manufacturing is investing in new, innovative production processes to be able to offer. The combination with conventional Processing methods are set to shape the future of the Secure the site.
The machine, which is about the size of a small machining centre, hums quietly away. In an inert gas atmosphere, laser beams continuously melt metal particles, building up layer by layer
for complex workpieces, layer by layer. Depending on their size, individual components or several at once are produced on a solid base plate – a process that can sometimes take several days. As early as 2012, BSF Bünter AG in Heerbrugg had begun using selective laser melting (SLM) as an additive manufacturing process. The traditional contract manufacturing company initially intended this primarily to meet the needs of the mould-making sector. Customers were found quickly, but capacity utilisation was low at the start, reports Managing Director and co-owner Fabian Graber.
One-third additive manufacturing
Soon after completing his degree in mechanical engineering at what was then the NTB in Buchs, the qualified design engineer began to focus even more intensively on the newly introduced manufacturing method from 2015 onwards. The number of orders doubled within a year. These initial successes motivated the company to further expand its plant and facilities. This was a risky decision during what was then a period of hype, but BSF Bünter AG had the right instinct: in the years that followed, SLM was to become the most widely used industrial process in additive metal manufacturing.
An insight into the additive manufacturing process: a laser beam melts the metal powder and builds up workpieces layer by layer.
BSF Bünter AG primarily uses additive manufacturing to produce small and complex workpieces.
More cost-effective for ducts and cooling fins
BSF Bünter AG uses additive manufacturing primarily for small and complex components in small-batch production. The managing director explains that cooling channels that closely follow the contours of workpieces for injection mould construction can be produced more cost-effectively than with conventional methods – and he knows exactly what he is talking about, having explored this very subject in depth in his final thesis at NTB.
A valve block for colour printers is another example of its application. Instead of machining an entire block using conventional methods, the additive process forms tubes with the desired curvature. In the manufacture of a heat exchanger, on the other hand, cooling fins are created by melting the metal powder layer by layer, and cooling channels are built up at the same time if required.
The best and most affordable solutions find
«If the same alloys are used, the workpieces exhibit almost the same strength as conventionally manufactured components,» explains Fabian Graber. To address any shortcomings regarding
To compensate for the continuous load, the wall thicknesses could be increased locally as required. Throughput and production times, as well as the specified requirements for surfaces, appearance and threads, all played a role in selecting the optimal process. The decisive factors are always the costs and, above all, the aim of finding the best solution for the customers. It is also
There have been instances where clients have switched from additive manufacturing to conventional milling – or vice versa.
A niche with a future in Switzerland
In the field of additive manufacturing, the company now serves customers from all over Switzerland, as well as from around the world – including companies from Mexico and the Czech Republic right through to China.
Initially, demand came primarily from the mechanical engineering sector, followed by customers from the semiconductor, mould-making and aerospace industries.
Fabian Graber makes it clear that combining conventional, subtractive manufacturing with additive processes is part of the recipe for success. The managing director sees opportunities for market growth in improved CAD software. The aim, he says, is to identify more ideas and more possibilities for additive manufacturing. The company, founded in 1984 by Josef Bünter, is therefore confident that it is further developing a specialised niche that also has a future in Switzerland. BSF Bünter AG primarily uses additive manufacturing to produce small and complex workpieces.
(Photographs and text: Martin Sinzig)
A complex sub-assembly was replaced by a single 3D-printed component during a redesign. This eliminates the need for several individual parts, significantly reduces the number of soldered and welded joints and eliminates leakage problems in this area.
The initial situation
The company HSR AG from Balzers was faced with a task that many of us are familiar with. The penultimate stock items of a product had been ordered and delivered, so it was high time to reorder. But fortunately, in this case it was not a problem: The assembly consisted of so many individual parts, which had to be screwed, welded and soldered together with enormous effort. A minimum quantity would have been unavoidable for this to lead to reasonably acceptable prices. In addition, only someone with a great deal of experience would have been able to solder the tubes and the old soldering gauges would also have had to be replaced.
That must be easier!
The solution
From an earlier project (plate with internal cooling), a design engineer at HSR AG was already familiar with the additive manufacturing of metal at BSF Bünter AG. A short email including a screenshot later, a team meeting was organised. Together, they discussed the separation of parts and repeated the 3D print-compatible design. A short time later, the printed components were ready for assembly. In a later step, further parts were replaced with AM components.
The hard facts in figures
- Reduction of individual parts from 9 to 2
- Reduction in time required for soldering / welding from 8 hours to 2 hours (entire assembly)
- No new soldering/welding jig at CHF 500 (one-off per part size)
- Total cost reduction of 30% compared to the old solution (entire assembly)
- this with batch size 2 instead of 10 as before
- Reduction in procurement time by approx. 50%
Do you also want to realise the full potential of your products? Contact us for a non-binding consultation!
On 23 June 2025, Charlotte celebrates her 25th anniversary at BSF Bünter AG.
We would like to express our sincere thanks for this special company loyalty and their outstanding commitment!
On 1 June 2025, Susanne celebrates her 10th anniversary at BSF Bünter AG.
Congratulations on this great company loyalty.
We would like to take this opportunity to thank Susanne for her constant commitment and look forward to continuing to count on her as an expert colleague in the future.
Matthias has been part of the BSF team since BSF Bünter AG was founded in 1984.
Matthias deserves a very special "thank you" for this very special company anniversary.
Matthias is a great employee who you can always rely on!
We would like to take this opportunity to congratulate him on his 40th anniversary.
BSF Bünter AG is convinced that the targeted development of its apprentices is crucial to successfully mastering the challenges of the future.
For this reason, we purchased a state-of-the-art CNC milling machine from Fehlmann AG (made in Switzerland) last autumn.
With the help of this machine, which is explicitly operated by our apprentices, they can be actively involved in challenging customer orders at an early stage.
We see the training of our apprentices as an essential cornerstone for the successful and sustainable development of our company.
Khalid Mohamed Sufi began his apprenticeship as an EFZ production mechanic at BSF Bünter AG on 11 August 2014 and successfully completed it in August 2017. He then remained loyal to BSF Bünter AG and we are delighted to still have him on our team today.
We would like to take this opportunity to congratulate Khalid on his 10th anniversary with the company. Khalid, we would like to thank you for your constant commitment and look forward to continuing to rely on you as an expert employee in the future.
Latest news
Gezim Halili, aged 3518 August 2026 – 14:20
Successful completion of apprenticeship in 20267 July 2026 – 4.30 pm
Entering new markets with additive manufacturing9 April 2026 – 1.49 pm