Kurtz Ersa · Metal 3D printing · 3D product video
Product Video for the Kurtz Ersa Flying Ray: Parallel Lasers Made Visible
Kurtz Ersa needed manufacturers to see what happens inside the Flying Ray, a metal 3D printer whose lasers work in a closed chamber over a bed of powder. This product video, built in 3D, opens the machine up: several laser beams trace parts at the same time, the build box turns see-through to reveal the part, and a coater bar sweeps the bed.
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Kurtz Ersa · Flying Ray
- Client
- Kurtz Ersa
- Product
- Flying Ray metal 3D printer for large parts and series components
- Made for
- Manufacturers weighing metal 3D printing for production parts
- Format
- 3D product video with logo titles and no spec text
- Built from
- CAD data converted into 3D models
- Length
- 1:52
- Production timeline
- 3 to 4 weeks
- Budget
- $1,200 to $2,000
The problem: the Flying Ray works where no camera can see
Kurtz Ersa's own description names the highlight: eight lasers on eight swivel arms that "work in parallel in overlapping work areas". That happens inside a sealed chamber, and the part grows buried in metal powder. A camera pointed at the machine records a steel box with stairs.
A production engineer judging metal 3D printing for large parts needs to see the beams work at once, the part take shape and the machine run. The video had to show all 3 from inside the machine, where a real shoot can't go.
How the Flying Ray product video moves from the plant to the powder bed
The only on-screen words are the brand lines, so the pictures carry the whole case. Select a time to play that scene above.
| Time | On screen | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| The "kurtz ersa" logo on white, then the full plant in 3D with an operator on the platform, and the title "kurtz ersa FLYING RAY". | Shows the scale of the machine and names it. | |
| A fan unit, then the camera drops inside the chamber: gas streams over the bed and several beams trace rings in the powder at the same time. | Shows the claim that sets the machine apart: lasers working in parallel. | |
| Swivel arms with cable chains seen from below, then a frame-shaped part glows into shape and turns in a blue wireframe space. | Links the arms to the part they build. | |
| An operator at the top of the machine, then an x-ray view of the build box with the part sitting in the powder. | Shows the part where it is really made: buried in the bed. | |
| The full plant from 2 angles and the powder feed, then split screens: the part beside the beams, and a close-up of one beam melting a ring. | Puts the whole plant and the smallest detail side by side. | |
| An operator at the touchscreen panel, the control cabinet, then the swivel arms over the bed with several beams tracing outlines. | Shows a person running the machine and the arms at work. | |
| The powder hopper and stairs, then a coater bar sweeps across the grey bed with 2 part outlines showing, and 2 wide shots of the plant. | Shows more than one part in a single bed. | |
| End titles: "kurtz ersa", "FLYING RAY" with "NEXT LEVEL OF ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING", then "GLOBAL. AHEAD. SUSTAINABLE.", "www.kurtzersa.de" and the logo. | Closes on the product name and where to find it. |
Storyboard: the frames that carry the Kurtz Ersa Flying Ray product video
Key frames from the finished video, in order. Select a time to play that moment above.
The product named over a ghosted view of the plant. 
Several beams trace rings in the powder at the same time. 
The swivel arms that carry the lasers, with their cable chains. 
The part takes shape in a see-through world. 
The x-ray view shows the part buried in the powder. 
Split screen: the parallel beams beside one beam melting a ring. 
An operator runs the machine from the touchscreen. 
The swivel arms over the bed, each with its own beam. 
The coater bar sweeps a bed that holds 2 parts. 
The close: the product name and the campaign line.
4 decisions behind the Flying Ray product video
Decision 1
Make the parallel lasers the first close-up
Right after the title, from 0:16 to 0:26, the camera sits at bed height while several beams trace rings at once. That is the highlight Kurtz Ersa's description names: lasers that "work in parallel in overlapping work areas".
Copy it: Find the one thing your machine does that others don't, and give it the first close-up after your title.
Decision 2
Turn the build box see-through
From 0:36 to 0:52 the machine becomes a blue wireframe, so the part can be seen sitting in the powder. A camera could only show the lid.
Copy it: If the result is hidden by a housing or a material, plan an x-ray pass instead of cutting the product open.
Decision 3
Keep one part on screen
The same frame-shaped part grows at 0:30, sits in the box at 0:51, returns in a split screen at 1:02, and 2 part outlines show in the bed at 1:24.
Copy it: Pick one part your buyer would make and bring it back at every stage, so the viewer follows a result, not a list of components.
Decision 4
Leave the numbers to the description
No spec appears on screen. Laser power from 50 to 400 W and the 1,500 x 1,000 x 500 mm build space are in the YouTube description beside the video.
Copy it: Decide early where your figures live. If the copy next to the video carries them, every shot can stay clean.
From Flying Ray CAD data to the final grade
- CAD conversion and modeling. The plant, swivel arms, build box, coater and control panel were converted from CAD data into 3D models.
- Outside-in shot order. Shots were ordered from the full plant to the chamber, the part, the build box, the operator and the coater.
- Materials and light. Steel, powder and beams were textured and lit so each beam reads against the bed in close-up.
- Animation. Beams tracing outlines, the part growing, the arms, the coater sweep and the operator scenes were animated.
- Render, compositing and effects. Shots were rendered, then the x-ray wireframe pass, sparks, gas streams, split screens and the "NEXT LEVEL" badge were composited.
- Sound design and color grading. Sound was built for the scene changes and one blue and steel grade was set across every shot.
Scope of work:
Production took 3 to 4 weeks on a budget of $1,200 to $2,000. See the 3D video production service for how a project like this is scoped.
Questions about the Kurtz Ersa Flying Ray product video
How does the Flying Ray product video show the lasers working in parallel?
From 0:16 to 0:26 the camera sits inside the chamber while several beams trace rings in the powder at the same time. At 1:14 the swivel arms come into view above the bed, each with its own beam. Kurtz Ersa's YouTube description gives the count: eight lasers on eight swivel arms in the basic version.
Why does the Flying Ray build box turn into a blue wireframe?
The part is buried in powder while it is built, so a camera can't see it. From 0:36 to 0:52 the machine turns see-through and the frame-shaped part shows inside the build box.
Why are there no specs on screen in the Flying Ray video?
The only words on screen are "kurtz ersa", "FLYING RAY", the badge "NEXT LEVEL OF ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING" and "GLOBAL. AHEAD. SUSTAINABLE." at 1:40, plus the web address. The figures, such as laser power from 50 to 400 W, sit in the YouTube description beside the video.
How does the video show how big the Flying Ray is?
At 0:04 and again at 0:54 the full plant appears with an operator figure next to its stairs, so the viewer judges its size against a person.
What does the coater shot at 1:22 show?
A coater bar sweeps across the grey powder bed while the outlines of 2 parts show through. It shows more than one part in a single bed, which fits the description's "large parts and series components".
What did it take to make the Flying Ray product video?
CAD data was converted into 3D models, then textured, lit, animated, rendered and composited, with sound design and color grading last. Production took 3 to 4 weeks on a budget of $1,200 to $2,000.
What Advids clients say
"ADVIDS prepared a 3D animation for us in a very good price and good schedule. The process was clear and convenient for remote online."Tal Bakish, Entrepreneur at Elssway
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