How can 3D printers improve rail transport?

It all began with a simple, light-grey coat hook of the kind to be found in their thousands in the high-speed trains operated by Deutsche Bahn, Germany’s national railway provider. Today, the company makes railroad vehicle components up to 17 kilos in weight – by means of 3D printing, also known as additive manufacturing.

According to an article by Logistik Heute*, 3D printers are being deployed regularly by Deutsche Bahn (DB) to ensure trains in need of repair are back in service as soon as possible. As a result, Germany’s leading railroad operator has joined the many industrial companies who have recognized that 3D printers are a key R&D resource for the rapid manufacture of parts for prototypes.

A technological breakthrough was key to making additive manufacturing so attractive to DB. A method developed by Berlin-based Gefertec has enabled DB “To print heavy metal parts for the first time, and to drastically reduce time-to-delivery,” as the transportation and logistics company reports. This form of production-on-demand makes use of digital templates derived from existing parts drawings or by scanning components in three dimensions.

A revolution in the supply of spare parts

The breakthrough in metal printing has enabled us to, step by step, ensure the rapid supply of spare parts and to put our trains back into service faster,” states Prof. Sabina Jeschke, Member of the Management Board for Digitalization and Technology at DB. “Our goal is to make around 10,000 parts available via 3D printing by 2021.”

3D printing will be employed, for instance, to make covers for wheel bearings – a component that protects shunting locomotives (also known as switchers) against damage caused by ballast stones. This would be a revolutionary change, as “Without the cover, the locomotive would not be operable. And it is often difficult to source the part in the conventional way from foundries. For this very specialist component, you often have to wait as long as 24 months for delivery,” state DB decision-makers.

Economic and environmental benefits

The new approach has multiple advantages. Spare parts no longer have to be ordered in large quantities, but are printed on demand, as explained by a DB press release*. This ensures that only those raw materials are consumed that are really needed. There is therefore less scrap, lower inventories, and fewer shipments. As a result, additive manufacturing can make an important contribution to environmental protection.

*German only