At a press conference at the
Formnext 2019 trade fair, held last month in Frankfurt, Stratasys announced its Rail Industry Solution to help passenger trains ‘run on time more frequently and potentially save thousands of euros a day’.
The company says that by using its ULTEM 9085 resin and Antero 800NA material with Stratasys Fortus 3-D printers, rail operators will be able to “produce — on demand — spare parts that meet strict government certification requirements for smoke, fire and toxicity” (both materials have passed the European Union’s Rail Standard, EN 45545-2).
Stratasys customers and partners benefitting (
www.chilternrailways.co.uk), DB ESG and Siemens Mobility.
The company’s additive-manufacturing consultancy, Blueprint, has estimated that for one major US commuter rail service, every day that a train set is out of service costs 18,000 euros, and often a single part that would ordinarily cost less than 100 euros is all that keeps the train from running.
“Compounding the challenge, the service life of trains is typically 35-45 years, which makes sourcing spare parts a challenge.
“By turning to additive manufacturing, train operators can get the parts they need within a day or two, regardless of the uniqueness of the part or the age of the train car.”
Andreas Langfeld, Stratasys EMEA president (
www.stratasys.com), said: “The old model of keeping trains running through expensive physical inventory or slow and costly traditional manufacturing is being replaced by digital inventory and on-demand 3-D printing.
“Indeed, this is exemplified by some of the biggest names in European passenger rail.”
Martin Stevens, mechanical engineering manager at DB ESG in Derby, said: “The Stratasys range of EN45545-2-compliant materials enables us to reverse-engineer parts such as interior grab handles with freeform curves without the need for expensive tooling and with a corresponding reduction in delivery time.
"Traditionally, these could only be made via casting or injection moulding.
"Stratasys’ GrabCAD Print software allows us to precisely define the 3-D printing parameters, then lock down the print file to ensure consistent part production across multiple printing bureaux.”