3D-printed spare parts in series production
Omnibus Magazine

3D-printed spare parts in series production

Daimler Buses meets individual customer requests with 3D printing technology.

Spare parts in the bus sector are as varied as the vehicles themselves. OMNIplus uses the most advanced technologies to produce them quickly and economically.

Since 2016 Daimler Buses has been using the possibilities provided by the digital component and production technology of 3D printing to ensure spare parts are delivered on time in a customised manner. In this respect, benefits are available from the more than 25 years of experience with 3D printing processes in truck and prototype construction, which have been transferred by the Daimler Buses 3D-Printing Centre of Competence to serial production and its high quality requirements. Complex parts in the bus interior, which are not safetyrelevant and until now have been made up of several individual components, are possible today.

The diversity of the possible printed products is getting increasingly bigger. Numerous parts for customer vehicles have already been printed. Over and above this, more than 30,000 different bus spare parts are currently being thoroughly examined for their suitability as 3D printed parts. Around 200 have already been validated for 3D printing. In the next step, OMNIplus is consistently developing the business model and preparing selected BusWorld Homes and other service centres for the new technology in order to be able to operate additive manufacturing there in its own production.

“Using 3D spare-parts printing, OMNIplus can react to individual special customer requests and spare-part needs in a fast, flexible, cost-effective and environmentally friendly manner.”

Daimler Buses meets individual customer requests with 3D printing technology.

Daimler Buses meets individual customer requests with 3D printing technology.

Ralf Anderhofstadt, Head of the 3D-Printing Centre of Competence at Daimler Buses, explains the actual benefits for the customer: “The 3D parts production is particularly interesting for customers who want individual equipment features or who do not want to wait long for special spare parts. Our long-term objective is to offer frequently requested 3D-printed parts via the OMNIplus ON online platform too.”

Using 3D spare-parts printing, OMNIplus can react to individual special customer requests and spare-part needs in a fast, flexible, cost-effective and environmentally friendly manner. In top quality and at reasonable production costs: the 3D parts meet the quality standards specified by Daimler AG. Instead of several months, the production of a 3D-printed part only takes a few days using the customised and protected CAD data. All reasons why 3D-printed spare parts are increasingly on the rise.