Daimler Buses rolls out a mobile additive manufacturing service center

The Daimler-OMNIplus mobile 3D printing center houses all the equipment needed to 3D-print spare parts for buses. Images: Daimler Buses

Daimler Buses and OMNIplus, Daimler’s service brand for repairs, maintenance, and parts, have installed a shipping container filled with 3D printing equipment at the BusWorld Home service center in Hamburg, Germany.

The aim of the pilot program is to decentralize parts production and, thereby, shorten delivery times. Contributing to shorter lead times is that the on-site “minifactory” allows part geometries to be tweaked more easily and quickly.

The mobile AM center prints polyamide parts to the same quality standards as genuine parts, says the company, making “Daimler Buses the first provider that can deliver series-production quality using a mobile solution.”

Part data are prepared at a CAD work station prior to the printing process. The required powder is prepared at a processing station, which is also the station where residue powder is removed during postprocessing.

“Thanks to the mobile 3D printing center, we can exploit the advantages of 3D printing to a greater extent and further increase the speed at which we supply spare parts,” said Daimler’s head of customer services and parts, Bernd Mack. “Decentralized production avoids warehousing costs and reduces transportation routes.”

Today, nearly 40,000 bus parts are 3D-printable, says the bus builder. The head of Daimler’s 3D printing competence center, Ralf Anderhofstadt, and his team are currently focusing on digitizing 7,000 parts. After being digitized, approval processes and numerous product tests are stored in a “digital warehouse” with the necessary instructions for printing the parts.

In the next phase of the program, Daimler Buses intends to further decentralize the 3D printing of spare parts. Customers will be able to access the OMNIplus On portal and purchase 3D printing licenses, then have the corresponding parts produced at a Daimler-certified 3D printing center.