England-based West Midlands Police has integrated 3D printing into its vehicle maintenance operations following an initiative by one of its technicians. Daniel Starns, a Fleet Services vehicle technician, proposed using 3D printers to create custom interior car parts after experimenting with the technology at home.
The police force’s Fleet Services team is responsible for converting commercial vehicles into operational police cars and vans. This process traditionally involves removing and modifying existing components, as well as manually engineering aluminum brackets and other fixtures to accommodate specialized police communication devices and software systems.
Starns discovered that 3D printing could streamline this process while working on personal projects at home. “I was working through some of my own designs on my 3D printer when I realised we could probably put this technology to use in the day job,” Starns said. “The fittings that we manufacture ourselves and those parts that we adapt are all made to measure and so I tried out the some of the specifications on my 3D printer and found that it produced good quality replica parts.”
Acting Fleet Manager Kelvin Bevan approved the implementation of 3D printing technology after seeing its potential benefits. Fleet Services has since purchased a 3D printer and now produces parts for both external body shops and in-house workshops, which has reduced labor and part costs.
Chief Constable Craig Guildford praised the initiative during a presentation by Bevan and Starns. “This is a superb example of the kind of innovative thinking being practically applied that I want to encourage across the force,” Guildford said. “Ordering and replacing parts can be a time-consuming business and often puts our vehicles out of action while they’re waiting to be fixed. But now, thanks to this idea, we can speed up the process, and in a much shorter time we can make our vehicles available and get them out on the road where they should be.”
Source: westmidlands.police.uk