3D printing is becoming increasingly accepted

during the corona pandemic, 3D printing has proven to be an enabling technology that keeps supply lines open. The sector is therefore at a tipping point. “People are more aware of what is possible and what is not possible with 3D printing,” says Andy Langfeld, President EMEA at Stratasys. Spare parts 3D printing is one of the applications that you see more and more often.

Andy Langfeld recently gave a keynote lecture at the AM Forum in Berlin. In it he explained how supply chain disruptions in the past year have opened the eyes of many manufacturing companies to the possibilities that 3D printing offers. And this applies not only to healthcare, but also to a sector such as the automotive industry. "How much does it cost not to be able to produce? Those costs can amount to $2 million per week if a production line is shut down."

Spare parts for trolleybuses Naples

The pandemic has shown that 3D printing is a decentralized production technique, on demand and a solution for interrupted supply chains. “Now we see the trend continuing. Companies are analyzing how they can switch, for example for spare parts, from conventional production and storage to on demand production ", says Langfeld. An example of this is the public transport company in Naples, Azienda Napoletana Mobilità (ANM). A critical part of the trolley buses are the trolley rods. The housing in them breaks down after years. The production time is one year. If the spare parts are no longer in stock, the buses stand still.

3D printing with Fortus F900

Today, the supplier has redesigned the part for 3D printing. On a Stratasys Fortus F900, the housing is printed in Ultem 9085. The thermoplastic material is not only strong, it is also resistant to high temperatures and has a favorable strength-to-weight ratio. And the Fortus F900 has the size to print these large parts in one go. 20 parts can be delivered within 2 weeks. The supplier now also wants to 3D print parts for trolleybuses in other Italian cities on Stratasys' industrial 3D printer.

Tipping point in costs shifts

Andy Langfeld also expects a change when it comes to series production. Now the costs of injection molding are significantly lower for larger quantities. This tipping point is continuously shifting due to faster 3D printers, such as the new Stratasys SAF H350 powder bed machine, and new materials. The influence of the development of materials is clearly visible in the aircraft industry. “If you would have asked me a few years ago whether there would be 3D printed parts in an airplane, I might have said no. A current Airbus A350 flies with 3D printed parts. Safely.”

Airbus approves 3D printing spare parts

Thousands of parts have now been printed on Stratasys' industrial FDM printers Ultimate 9085 for the Airbus A350 XWB. The aircraft manufacturer has certified this filament for use on the Fortus 450mc FDM printer from Stratasys. At the beginning of this year, Airbus decided to also 3D print parts for smaller aircraft such as the A320 on the Stratasys machines. This mainly concerns: spare parts that are used in the MRO business.

Additive manufacturing and traditional production techniques are growing closer together. 3D printing is not going to replace the rest. But companies do see how they can use 3D printing at the right place in the life cycle of products to achieve added value. “This creates a paradigm shift,” says Langfeld.

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