Monday, March 17, 2025
Additive manufacturing and maintenance: Julien Bajolet sees anticipation as the key to success
Manufacturing Spare Parts on Demand? Yes, but Not Without Anticipation!
By Julien Bajolet, Welding and Additive Manufacturing Manager at AFPMA
One of the promises of 3D printing is the ability to quickly manufacture spare parts. However, for many manufacturers, this application often leads to disappointment. The scenario is always the same: a piece of equipment breaks down, the company urgently needs a replacement part, and sees this as an opportunity to test additive manufacturing. They turn to a 3D printing service provider, only to discover that costs are high and lead times are long—often around a week. This raises the question: how do some companies manage to manufacture spare parts on demand in just a few hours? The answer comes down to one word: anticipation.
First, it's important to understand that if you ask a service provider to print a broken part without having its original design files, scanning it will be difficult, if not impossible. The 3D model must be manually reconstructed using CAD software, which takes time. Next, this 3D model must be optimized. If the original part was designed for injection molding or machining, a direct 3D-printed replica may not perform well—it could be too fragile, have rough surfaces, or require excessive post-processing to remove supports. That’s why part adaptation is crucial. This step requires real expertise, as design rules vary depending on the process—whether it's FDM, PBF, DED, or Binder Jetting. Finally, the manufacturing preparation stage is essential, where the best parameters must be selected—assuming they exist for the chosen material and machine.
So, how can you ensure that a spare part is available in just a few hours? The key is preparation. This starts with identifying critical parts—those that can shut down an entire production line, are expensive to replace, have long lead times, or frequently break. Then, it’s important to consider materials. For example, if a part is typically made of metal, should you produce another metal part, or would a temporary plastic version suffice until the new part arrives? Size is also a factor—if the part is large, it may need to be printed in multiple sections and assembled without compromising strength. Finally, preparing optimized CAD models and corresponding manufacturing files in advance is crucial.
By planning ahead and addressing these challenges before a breakdown occurs, companies can truly benefit from additive manufacturing. When a critical part fails, you’ll be ready to simply hit "Print"—and have your replacement part in no time!
👉 Join us at the 3D PRINT conference on June 4, 2025, at 10 AM for a roundtable discussion on maintenance and additive manufacturing.