Industrial powerhouses hold 3D-printing summit
Industrial powerhouses hold 3D-printing summit
Earlier in the year , General Motors , Siemens , and Airbus Defence and Space joined industrial manufacturing company Stratasys for a roundtable to discuss 3D printing .
The participants relayed their experiences of 3D printing over the past two , challenging years .
Among those taking part were Octavio Pichardo Romero , Senior Manager of GM ’ s production plant in San Luis Potosi , Mexico , and Philip Emmerling , AM Business Development Manager with Siemens Mobility .
Romero said : “ For many years , GM plants in Mexico have used 3D printing for making production parts for highperformance vehicles , including metal parts for the Cadillac V series .
“ However , in the pandemic , we used it to 3D-print spare parts for equipment on our assembly line , ensuring production could continue when parts needed to be replaced . We were able to avoid line closures that would have cost around $ 1,000 per hour .”
Siemens Mobility also used 3D printing to overcome pandemic-induced supply chain interruptions .
“ At Siemens , we produce certified metal and polymer 3D-printed parts for customers worldwide , especially in the rail business ,” Emmerling said . “ 3D-printing technology is very important for us in the maintenance of trains , where our goal is to carry out on-demand printing for tailored product solutions . We now use AM to optimise the supply chain , especially with maintenance , where there is a need for fast , quick and reliable solutions for spare parts .”
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