Where Art Meets Precision Engineering In southern Budapest, a small family-run business named Intertechnika is quietly making waves in the art world. Specializing in welding, laser cutting, and bending, the company creates custom designs for artists across Hungary. By uniting designers, machine operators, and artists under one roof, Intertechnika produces unique, internationally recognized artworks—while also sharpening its industrial expertise. Laser Cutting as an Art Form Take, for example, Techno Zen, a multisensory installation by Hungarian artist Márton Nemes. Set to the meditative sounds of double bass, gongs, and Tibetan singing bowls, the piece features forest silhouettes and abstract metal shapes cut with remarkable precision. Thousands of LEDs bring the forms to life in sync with the music. Hosted at the 2024 Venice Biennale, the world’s largest exhibition of contemporary art, Techno Zen was two years in the making—and many of its metal components were crafted by Intertechnika using advanced laser cutting technology from a global industry leader. A Family Business with Vision Peter and Márton Alasztics, the second generation of the founding family, now lead Intertechnika. Their parents, Jullianna Alaszticsné Kovács and Béla Alasztics, founded the company in 1991. A major turning point came in the early 2000s, when Intertechnika began using high-performance laser systems from a leading technology provider. Their first machine—a combination punch-laser system—opened the door to new capabilities in complex design work. “We process around 28,000 drawings a year,” says Peter Alasztics. “From transformer parts to Siemens housings, we handle a wide variety of industrial components—but we also make room for the extraordinary.” Learning Through Art Artistic commissions like Techno Zen serve more than aesthetic purposes. They offer Intertechnika opportunities to explore new techniques, test the limits of their machinery, and develop unconventional solutions. These lessons feed back into the company’s contract manufacturing business, enhancing both quality and flexibility. “Every unique piece we produce teaches us something,” says Peter. “It’s an investment in creativity and craftsmanship.” A Legacy Reimagined Located in Budapest’s historic Csepel district—a former center of heavy industry—Intertechnika’s headquarters occupy a repurposed factory once used to manufacture motorcycles and cars. Today, it stands as a symbol of reinvention. Intertechnika blends the precision of metal fabrication with the imagination of contemporary art. A Bridge Between Artists and Engineers By embracing artistic projects, Intertechnika has become a space where creativity and manufacturing converge. “We help artists and engineers speak the same language,” says Peter Alasztics. And in doing so, they’re crafting more than metal—they’re shaping stories that resonate on a global stage.
Pressure-Tight Laser Welding in Aluminum—Now Scalable Can aluminum be welded pressure-tight in large-scale production? For Feinwerktechnik hago, the answer is yes—thanks to cutting-edge laser welding technology developed by a world-leading technology provider, originally designed for gas-tight stainless steel applications and now adapted for aluminum. A Demanding Challenge for Electromobility Joseph Gampp, Head of Product Management at Feinwerktechnik hago, is used to tough assignments. “Finding a solution to every customer requirement—no matter how complex—is part of our DNA,” he explains. But when tasked with developing a 900×200 mm aluminum cooling plate for an automotive customer’s battery management controller (BMC), even his team had doubts. The component, essential for protecting thermal electronics in electric vehicles, needed to withstand extreme pressure conditions. A seamless, three-meter circumferential weld seam—tight, durable, and consistent—was required. Aluminum’s known difficulties in laser welding made the task seem nearly impossible. Cracks Under Pressure While hago had years of experience in laser processing and access to various laser systems, early attempts fell short. Although tight seams were achievable in some cases, cracks appeared during pressure pulsation testing—a key requirement for component approval, as the part had to endure over 100,000 pressure cycles. Stainless Steel Success Sparked a New Idea Having already seen success with media- and gas-tight laser welding of stainless steel, Gampp reached out to their trusted technology provider. While aluminum presented a different challenge due to its high reflectivity and susceptibility to cracking, early lab results were promising. It became a shared ambition between hago and the technology experts to scale this for mass production. A Breakthrough in Laser Welding The game-changing technology combined two innovations: BrightLine Weld: A well-established laser welding process enabling pore-free, gas-tight seams. Multifocus Optics: Advanced optics that split the laser beam into a core and ring, creating four focus spots that form a stable, vapor-filled “keyhole” in the material. This open keyhole supports fast, clean, and uniform welds—even in aluminum. Together, these technologies allowed for the first-ever series production of pressure-tight aluminum weld seams—a major breakthrough for lightweight automotive manufacturing. From Concept to Pre-Series Production After extensive testing, hago invested in a high-performance laser system equipped with BrightLine Weld and Multifocus optics. Over 3,000 cooling plates have already been produced in pre-series, each with flatness under 1 millimeter—a critical factor for thermal efficiency in battery electronics. The system’s distortion-free welding ensures that the aluminum plate lies perfectly flat against the power electronics, allowing optimal heat transfer. “That level of flatness and consistency was only possible through this laser process,” says Gampp. Over 600,000 Parts Planned by 2030 Feinwerktechnik hago plans to manufacture over 610,000 cooling units within the next six years using this advanced laser system. The development process included close collaboration with the customer and months of optimization, but the technological foundation was crucial. Mission Accomplished: Pressure-Tight Welds at Scale “We created the essential foundation for this success together with our technology partner—the ability to weld aluminum pressure-tight using a laser, at scale,” Gampp states proudly. The company once again proved its reputation: turning complex challenges into production-ready solutions.
Faster Bone Fusion with 3D-Printed Spinal Implants Spinal implants from Tsunami Medical fuse with bone faster than conventional options, thanks to a highly sophisticated mesh structure made possible by advanced 3D printing systems from a leading global technology provider. Innovative Thinking from Italy Stefano Caselli, managing director of Italian medical technology company Tsunami Medical, thrives on innovation that improves patient outcomes and simplifies surgical procedures. Located in Modena and Mirandola, Tsunami manufactures tools for minimally invasive procedures and biopsies—and specializes in spinal cages, which serve as placeholders between vertebrae. Next-Generation Structure Tsunami’s spinal cages feature a finely woven metal mesh with ultra-thin struts, differing from many other designs that rely on screw holes to attach to surrounding bone. “That design is outdated,” says Caselli, explaining that it originated during the use of PEEK, a plastic that doesn’t integrate well with bone. Despite the shift to 3D printing, many manufacturers still replicate these outdated features. Tsunami, however, rethought everything. Designed for 3D Printing from the Start Since entering the field of additive manufacturing in 2010, Tsunami has fully optimized its designs for titanium—a stiff but biocompatible material. By carefully engineering the implant geometry as a mesh, the team achieved both flexibility and stability. “The porous surface allows rapid bone growth,” Caselli notes. A Cambridge University study supports this claim, finding bone growth through the mesh within 4–5 days—faster than with standard implants. Expandable Solutions for Personalized Care Caselli and his team are now developing expandable implants that can adjust to the patient’s anatomy during surgery. This allows for tailored treatment while minimizing the number of implant variants hospitals need to stock. Tsunami is also introducing the third generation of its spinal cages, now featuring an integrated fixation mechanism that secures the implant directly to bone—making surgical procedures quicker and easier. A Global Technology Partner Enables Progress To bring these complex designs to life, Tsunami needed more advanced manufacturing capabilities. Their earlier 3D printing systems couldn’t print the implant and its internal mechanism in one setup. That’s when Caselli turned to a global leader in additive manufacturing. Starting with a smaller system for prototyping, the company then transitioned to a high-performance industrial 3D printer with dual 500-watt lasers and a large build volume. This allowed Tsunami to double production speed and stack up to six implants per print job—with consistent quality across all layers. Scalable, High-Quality Manufacturing “The new system was the ideal solution,” says Caselli. “It lets us produce complex titanium implants with integrated mechanisms in a single build. And the large build volume supports mass production—all while maintaining the precision and reliability medical technology demands.” Innovation Needs Reliable Support With a trusted global technology partner supporting their ideas, Tsunami Medical is well-positioned to keep innovating. As Caselli says, “We never run out of good ideas. And now, we have the tools to turn them into reality.”