The Company: Cinelli and Columbus, Italian Cycling Excellence
Cinelli, founded in 1947, is an icon of design and innovation in the world of Italian cycling. Columbus, born in 1919, represents over a century of excellence in the production of hand-drawn steel tubes for high-end bicycle frames. Since the late 70s, the two historic brands have been part of Gruppo Srl, combining traditional craftsmanship and innovation capabilities. In recent years, the Group has embraced additive manufacturing to accelerate the development of new components and high-tech projects.
The Challenge: Rapid Prototyping of Innovative Components
Cinelli’s main objective was to find a solution to drastically reduce product development times and costs related to prototyping. In particular, complex projects such as the Trittico Columbus, an innovative integration of brake cables into steel bicycle frames, required continuous tests on custom components (such as the internal shim), with as many as 30 prototypes created to identify the most efficient geometry.
The Solution: 3ntr A4V4 Comes into Play
Cinelli chose the 3ntr A4V4 printer, impressed by its reliability, the availability of 3 nozzles, and a wide choice of technical materials. Ease of use and high performance even under conditions of over 90 printing hours per week were fundamental: after just one day of training, even non-specialized operators were able to use the technology in full autonomy. Furthermore, the SSI 2025 software provided concrete support thanks to its intuitive interface and advanced slicing features.
Tangible Results and Competitive Advantages
The adoption of the 3ntr A4V4 revolutionized the R&D process, making reverse engineering possible and allowing for rapid iterations on components still made by hand. The most significant benefits were observed in the acceleration of prototyping times and the flexibility of the production workflow.
Cost Reduction
Thanks to in-house prototyping, Cinelli amortized the printer cost in less than 2 years and avoided the high costs of external suppliers and traditional CNC machining.
Time Optimization
The new product development cycle saw a 40% reduction in prototyping times, making it possible to go from waiting days to immediate verification and modifications.
New Business Opportunities
The ability to rapidly test different solutions paved the way for innovative projects such as Columbus Components and new Cinelli bicycles, like the Pressure II, King Zydeco II, and the Speciale XCR launched just two weeks ago. The company continues to explore additive applications in future developments.
“3D printing is the fundamental means to streamline the research process. The 3ntr product exceeded our expectations in reliability and quality.”
Alessandro Merli, Product Designer Gruppo Srl
Conclusion and Future Perspectives
The Cinelli case demonstrates how 3ntr technology can be a strategic ally to excel in customization and speed of innovation, integrating craftsmanship and technological precision. The R&D journey with 3D printing is just beginning: new projects are already in the pipeline, with the certainty of having a reliable tool to count on every day.
