{"id":924,"date":"2026-08-29T21:13:29","date_gmt":"2026-08-29T21:13:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/web.fs.uni-lj.si\/lft\/?page_id=924"},"modified":"2026-08-29T21:13:29","modified_gmt":"2026-08-29T21:13:29","slug":"additive-manufacturing-3d-printing","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/web.fs.uni-lj.si\/lft\/en\/additive-manufacturing-3d-printing\/","title":{"rendered":"Additive Manufacturing and 3D Printing of Hydraulic Components"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Additive Manufacturing and 3D Printing of Hydraulic Components<\/h1><\/div><\/div>\n\n
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Additive manufacturing opens up new possibilities for developing fluid power components, as it enables the production of complex geometries that are often unachievable with conventional manufacturing processes. At the Laboratory for Fluid Power and Controls, we research the use of metal 3D printing for developing hydraulic valves, manifolds, and other components, with an emphasis on optimizing flow paths and improving system performance. Our research includes numerical simulations, topology optimization, design, and experimental validation of prototypes, aiming to develop lighter, more efficient, and technologically more advanced solutions for industry, hydraulics, and robotics.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n

Highlighted Achievements<\/h1><\/div><\/div>\n\n
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3D-Printed Proportional Valves<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Development and testing of functional proportional valves manufactured with metal 3D printing.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n

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Optimization of Hydraulic Manifolds<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Reducing pressure losses through optimized flow paths and advanced geometries.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n

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Linking Development Stages<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

From numerical simulation to a functional prototype and experimental validation.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n

Key Activities<\/h1><\/div><\/div>\n\n
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Metal 3D Printing of Hydraulic Components<\/span><\/strong><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n
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Topology Optimization<\/strong><\/div>\n

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Flow Optimization<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n

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Numerical Simulations<\/strong><\/div>\n

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Functional Prototypes<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n

Researchers<\/h1><\/div><\/div>\n\n
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\"Jan<\/div>

Jan Bartolj MSc Mech. Eng.<\/h4>

Head of the Research Group<\/p>

Email:<\/strong> jan.bartolj@fs.uni-lj.si<\/a>\u200b<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n

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\"Franc<\/div>

Franc Majdi\u010d Assoc. Prof. Dr., Univ. Dipl. Eng. Mech. <\/h4>

Email:<\/strong> franc.majdic@fs.uni-lj.si<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n

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\"Ana<\/div>

Ana Trajkovski PhD, Univ. Dipl. Eng. Mech. <\/h4>

Email:<\/strong> ana.trajkovski@fs.uni-lj.si<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n

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and other researchers depending on the specific project.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n

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Active Projects<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n

Development of Metal 3D-Printed Valves<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Research on functional hydraulic valves using additive manufacturing.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Development of Optimized Hydraulic Manifolds<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Use of topology optimization and CFD simulations to reduce losses in fluid systems.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n

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Selected Publications<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n

Development of Metallic 3D-Printed Water Hydraulic Proportional Directional Control Valve<\/span><\/p>\n

Development, manufacturing, and testing of a proportional directional valve produced by metal 3D printing<\/span><\/p>\n

Numerical Optimization of Internal Geometry for Additively Manufactured Hydraulic Manifolds<\/span><\/p>\n

Durability tests of 3D-printed hydraulic components<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2192 Link to all publications in this area<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n

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Key Topics for Theses<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n

Selected Topics<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

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  • 3D printing of fluid power components<\/span><\/li>\n
  • Topology optimization of hydraulic systems<\/span><\/li>\n
  • CFD analyses and flow simulations<\/span><\/li>\n
  • Development of hydraulic valves for additive manufacturing<\/span><\/li>\n
  • Optimization of flow channels and hydraulic manifolds<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    \u2192 Link to the list of all theses<\/span><\/p>\n

    \u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-924","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.fs.uni-lj.si\/lft\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/924","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.fs.uni-lj.si\/lft\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.fs.uni-lj.si\/lft\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.fs.uni-lj.si\/lft\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.fs.uni-lj.si\/lft\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=924"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/web.fs.uni-lj.si\/lft\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/924\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":926,"href":"https:\/\/web.fs.uni-lj.si\/lft\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/924\/revisions\/926"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.fs.uni-lj.si\/lft\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=924"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}