Daimler Trucks to use 3D printing in spare parts production

The world’s leading truck manufacturer Daimler is planning to use three-dimensional printing (3D) to produce steel or aluminium-made automotive spare parts. This will be done to streamline their supply chain and expedite vehicle manufacturing process leveraging the latest digital technologies.

The use of 3D printing technology has been gaining in popularity among auto makers worldwide as the process helps them to pare down logistics and warehouse storage costs substantially. Instead of shipping vehicle spare parts across the globe, they can simply send a digital blueprint of a component to a printing specialist who then creates the parts using lasers to melt powdered form of aluminium, steel, plastics or glass into solidified articles.

The digital technology also helps vehicle manufacturers to produce complex components in small batches that fit in seamlessly to their just-in-time strategy.

Carmakers such as Volkswagen and BMW are already experimenting with 3D printing technologies for creating their own steel or aluminium vehicle spare parts.

Daimler Trucks said on Wednesday that it will start using 3D printing processes from September onward.

Daimler, which owns the Mercedes-Benz brand, has more than 100,000 printed prototype parts, and said it will expand production using 3D printing methods.