How Batterieschmiede Brought the Saftkiste to Series Production with Xometry

A Product Unlike Anything Else on the Market

Batterieschmiede GmbH is a startup with a team of just ten people — a small but ambitious company. And their goal is anything but small: according to the team, they are developing the world’s most advanced lithium supply battery.

The Saftkiste is not an ordinary battery. It combines a battery, camper control unit, and GPS tracking system in a single housing. Built to a high standard, genuinely sustainable, and wherever possible: made in Germany.

Under the aluminum lid sits the battery management system (BMS) — the heart of the product. It handles the entire control system, runs the software, and determines how long and how safely the battery operates.

The Challenge: Batteries Are Classified as Dangerous Goods

A battery housing is not just any component. Anyone wanting to bring a lithium battery to market must pass the UN38.3 transportation test. This test simulates mechanical shocks to the housing — exactly the kind of stress a battery may experience during transport.

The lid is the most fragile part, and the demands placed on it are high.

The first attempt to develop the housing in-house failed. Injection molding comes with pitfalls that are not automatically obvious to designers: wall thicknesses, draft angles, material flow behavior. Mistakes at this stage do not just cost time — they can also put delivery deadlines, pre-orders, and ultimately the product itself at risk. You can quickly find yourself overwhelmed.

Xometry as the Specialist for What Couldn’t Be Done In-House

The decision was clear: housing production was not one of Batterieschmiede’s core competencies. So the team brought in external support.

Xometry analyzed the part using a Moldflow simulation and identified exactly where changes were needed to make the design suitable for injection molding. No vague recommendations — concrete design adjustments, directly on the model.

For testing ahead of series production, Xometry also supplied functional prototypes produced with 3D printing technology from machinery far beyond the capabilities of the company’s in-house FDM printer. The process was simple: a call with their contact person, Antje Küpper-Saar, a discussion of the part, and one or two weeks later, the prototype was on site.

Reliability and On-Time Delivery

An injection mold is a serious financial commitment. The upfront tooling costs are high, even if the later unit price is low. Anyone making that investment needs to be able to trust their partner.

When launching the Saftkiste, Batterieschmiede already had pre-orders. And pre-orders mean promised delivery dates. Promised delivery dates mean one thing: the manufacturing partner has to deliver.

Xometry delivers the parts on time. That gives the small team the confidence they need to keep their promises to customers and bring the product to series production in a predictable way.

What Batterieschmiede Learned

A team of ten people cannot do everything themselves. The most important lesson from developing the Saftkiste is also the simplest: decide what you should do yourself — and find the right partner for the rest.