Wärtsilä's First CE‑Certified 3D‑Printed Lifting Tool: A Game‑Changing Innovation

Wärtsilä, a global leader in smart technologies for marine and energy markets, faced a pressing challenge. Their existing steel lifting tools—designed to move heavy engine components on factory floors and aboard commercial vessels—were prohibitively heavy, difficult to transport, and costly to produce. The company needed an in‑house, scalable solution that could be deployed across multiple sites with minimal downtime.

Leveraging their experience with Markforged carbon‑fiber printers, Wärtsilä’s engineering team collaborated with Markforged applications engineers to redesign the tool for additive manufacturing. By partitioning the original design into multiple parts and reinforcing it with continuous carbon‑fiber material, the new tool combined strength with a markedly reduced weight.

During initial trials, the prototype lifted a 240 kg (≈530 lb) engine piston on the first attempt. Subsequent tests confirmed that the tool can support up to 960 kg (≈2 100 lb) without deformation—meeting a safety factor of four for production use.

Type Approval and CE‑Certification

Markforged’s partnership with Bureau Veritas, a Paris‑based certification agency, led to rigorous testing and inspections. The resulting Type Approval and CE‑Certification marked Wärtsilä as the first company to produce a 3D‑printed lifting tool that meets stringent European safety, health, and environmental standards.

Distributed Manufacturing

Since initiating 3D printing of lifting tools, Wärtsilä has saved approximately €100 000 (≈$110 000) within eight months. The company now produces a range of tools—from metal grippers printed on the Metal X printer to various maintenance instruments—across facilities in Italy and Finland. Looking ahead, Wärtsilä plans to deploy Markforged 3D printers in multiple sites, enabling on‑demand, distributed manufacturing that keeps their marine and energy operations running smoothly.

Want to learn more? Read the full Wärtsilä case study.