Alstom is a French company that provides mobility solutions for high-speed trains. One of the company’s fleets, which had been in operation for 10 years, was starting to break down and was threatening the safety of passengers. To solve this problem, Alstom’s maintenance team based in Nola, Italy, was forced to replace 200 parts on the AGV ETR575, a high-speed electric passenger train. To design them, the company wanted to change the construction method because their usual process was becoming too expensive to produce replacement parts. Alstom finally turned to 3D printing technology and the Nexa3D solution.
After Alstom analyzed the technological nuances to understand all the advantages of the additive method offered by Nexa3D, the company decided that 3D printing would be the best solution for the production of spare parts for high-speed trains. After reviewing the material offering, Alstom selected LOCTITE 3D 3843 HDT60, a semi-flexible resin suitable for many applications. It has high impact strength, temperature resistance and an excellent finish that ensures the production of highly detailed parts.
For part design, Alstom turned to Nexa3D. The American manufacturer used the NXE 400Pro 3D printer model. With an open material platform with a working volume of 17 liters, the NXE 400Pro uses patented LSPc technology at work, ensuring accuracy and tolerances with an excellent surface finish.
Using Nexa3D solutions, Alstom was able to reduce the delivery time of a set of parts by 96%. The maximum lead time was 180 days, but in the end, thanks to 3D printing technology, the entire production took only a week, i.e. 172 days less. At the same time, Alstom has reduced its total production costs by 25%, saving a total of more than €20,000.
Źródło: www.loctiteam.com
