3D Printing
News Videos Newsletter Contact us
Home / News / Deutsche Bahn is maintaining trains with 3D printing
qidi

Deutsche Bahn is maintaining trains with 3D printing

March 9, 2019

Deutsche Bahn, a Berlin-based railway company, has integrated 3D printing into its maintenance network to produce hard-to-find parts for older trains as well as lighter parts for newer trains. They started Mobility goes Additive to invite relevant companies, institutions, and research firms to form partnerships that embrace additive manufacturing to create industrial solutions.

Partnering for the Future

Stefanie Brickwede, head of additive manufacturing at Deutsche Bahn and managing director of Mobility goes Additive commented on the network: “We just celebrated the second birthday of our (MgA) network which has grown from nine members to 19. From those figures you can get a sense of how important our subject is and the number of companies who want to focus on industrial use cases for printing spare parts.” There are some serious players in that member list, such as EOS, Siemens, BASF, BigRep, Materialise, Stratasys, 3D Systems, HP, Ultimaker, and Autodesk.

Trains are a fantastic use case of 3D printing; they are extremely mechanical with lots of moving parts, they operate for decades at a time and require replacement parts throughout their use, and they cover entire continents with their routes. Sometimes trains need replacement parts when they’re nowhere near those parts, which then have to be shipped to the train or the train has to be towed to the parts, causing downtime of a train that could be loaded with precious cargo that’s needed in various locations. An additive manufacturing network could greatly reduce those downtimes by rapidly fabricating replacement parts closer to the trains that break down.

Extended Service Times with 3D Printing

Other times, trains are so old that replacement parts become hard to find. “When we buy trains we get the service level agreement for delivery of spare parts for around 15 years,” said Brickwede. “After that time, we look for the parts on the world market and we cannot get them.” But they can 3D print them, and they do. From coat hooks to headrest frames, more and more of their trains are comprised of 3D printed components.

“We have a very broad range of use cases and very nice examples of parts increasing comfort too,” said Brickwede. “We also use a lot of different materials. Two-thirds of the parts we produce are made from plastic, the rest from metal. We have different polymers, and metals including aluminum steel and more recently titanium.” 3D printing is now used in nearly every type of transportation, including cars, motorcycles, bikes, ships, trains, planes, and even rockets.

Related Story
Large Scale 3D Printers Big Enough to Print Furniture
Share:
WhatsApp Twitter Facebook LinkedIn Buffer Reddit E-mail
About the author | Cameron Naramore
Cameron is a 3D printer and CNC operator. He's fond of cooking, traveling, and science fiction.
Join our newsletter

Our newsletter is free & you can unsubscribe any time.

Latest posts

Nestlé Expands 3D Printing Operations for Manufacturing Parts Across UK Sites

Nestlé has implemented standardized 3D printing processes across its UK manufacturing facilities over the past year. The company uses a team of three... read more »

News
Nestlé Expands 3D Printing Operations for Manufacturing Parts Across UK Sites

Cornell Researchers Develop 3D Printing Method for Enhanced Superconductors

Cornell University researchers have developed a one-step 3D printing method that produces superconductors with improved properties. The research, published August 19 in Nature... read more »

News
Cornell Researchers Develop 3D Printing Method for Enhanced Superconductors

Scottish Maritime Project Shows Promise for 3D Printed Ship Components

A Scottish project using large-scale additive manufacturing for shipbuilding components has completed its second phase, demonstrating potential benefits for the maritime industry. The... read more »

News
Scottish Maritime Project Shows Promise for 3D Printed Ship Components

Navy Maintenance Center Uses 3D Printing to Replace Destroyer Pump Component at Fraction of Conventional Cost

The Southeast Regional Maintenance Center (SERMC) has successfully used 3D printing to manufacture a replacement cooling rotor for an Arleigh Burke-class guided missile... read more »

Military
Navy Maintenance Center Uses 3D Printing to Replace Destroyer Pump Component at Fraction of Conventional Cost

Rapid Fusion Launches AI Assistant for Large-Format 3D Printers

British manufacturer Rapid Fusion has introduced "Bob," an AI-powered assistant designed to optimize operations for its large-format 3D printing systems. The company developed... read more »

News
Rapid Fusion Launches AI Assistant for Large-Format 3D Printers

Creality Submits IPO Prospectus for Hong Kong Stock Exchange Listing

Shenzhen-based 3D printer manufacturer Creality has submitted a prospectus to the Hong Kong Stock Exchange for a main board listing. The company began... read more »

News
Creality Submits IPO Prospectus for Hong Kong Stock Exchange Listing

Graphjet Technology Partners with Malaysian University on 3D-Printed Heat Sink Development

Graphjet Technology has entered into a collaboration agreement with the Centre for Materials Engineering and Smart Manufacturing (MERCU) at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM).... read more »

News
Graphjet Technology Partners with Malaysian University on 3D-Printed Heat Sink Development

Humtown drives US Manufacturing Comeback with Additive Sand Casting

Humtown Products, an Ohio-based company, is positioning itself to serve manufacturers looking to bring production back to the United States. The company specializes... read more »

News
Humtown drives US Manufacturing Comeback with Additive Sand Casting

Oak Ridge National Laboratory Releases Advanced Dataset for 3D Printing Quality Monitoring

Oak Ridge National Laboratory has released a comprehensive dataset for its Peregrine software, which monitors and analyzes parts created through powder bed additive... read more »

News
Oak Ridge National Laboratory Releases Advanced Dataset for 3D Printing Quality Monitoring

Creality Expands Flagship Lineup with K2 and K2 Pro 3D Printers

Creality has announced the launch of the K2 and K2 Pro, two new additions to its high-end K series. Built on a rigid... read more »

3D Printers
Creality Expands Flagship Lineup with K2 and K2 Pro 3D Printers

Social

  • Facebook Facebook 3D Printing
  • Linkedin Linkedin 3D Printing
Join our newsletter

Our newsletter is free & you can unsubscribe any time.

Featured Industries

  • Automotive
  • Aerospace
  • Construction
  • Dental
  • Environmental
  • Electronics
  • Fashion
  • Medical
  • Military
  • QIDI Tech X-Max 3

    • - Print size: 325 x 325 x 315 mm
    • - fully enclosed
    More details »
    $799.00 QIDI Store
    Buy Now
  • Snapmaker Artisan Premium 3-in-1

    • - Print size: 400 x 400 x 400 mm
    • - comes with enclosure
    More details »
    $2,999.00 Snapmaker
    Buy Now
  • QIDI Plus4

    • - Print size: 305 x 305 x 280 mm
    • - print temperature of 370°C
    More details »
    $799.00 QIDI Store
    Buy Now
  • QIDI Tech Q1 Pro

    • - Print size: 245 x 245 x 245 mm
    • - 600mm/s max speed
    More details »
    $449.00 QIDI Store
    Buy Now

Company Information

  • What is 3D Printing?
  • Contact us
  • Join our mailing list
  • Advertise with us
  • Media Kit
  • Nederland 3D Printing

Blog

  • Latest News
  • Use Cases
  • Reviews
  • 3D Printers
  • 3D Printing Metal

Featured Reviews

  • Anycubic Photon Mono M5s
  • Creality Ender 5 S1
  • The Mole 3D Scanner
  • Flashforge Creator 3 Pro

Featured Industries

  • Automotive
  • Aerospace
  • Construction
  • Dental
  • Environmental
  • Electronics
  • Medical
  • Military
  • Fashion
  • Art
2025 — Strikwerda en Dehue
  • Home
  • Join our mailing list
  • Contact us
Blog
  • Latest News
  • Use Cases
  • Reviews
  • 3D Printers
  • 3D Printing Metal
Featured Industries
  • Automotive
  • Aerospace
  • Construction
  • Dental
  • Environmental
  • Electronics
  • Medical
  • Military
  • Fashion
  • Art
Company Information
  • What is 3D Printing?
  • Contact us
  • Join our mailing list
  • Advertise with us
  • Media Kit
  • Nederland 3D Printing