As part of its traditional production processes transformation, Bombardier Transportation is integrating the Stratasys F900 3D printer for faster and more cost-effective production of large-scale industrial grade rail components (pictured, André Bialoscek, head of vehicle physical integration Hennigsdorf, Bombardier, holding a 3D printed air duct, and Dominik Mueller, strategic account manager at Stratasys).
The Stratasys F900 3D printer will be installed at Bombardier Transportation’s largest manufacturing site worldwide in Hennigsdorf, Germany, and will help accelerate and customize the final part production of interior and exterior train parts, such as air ducts, housings and cable holders, while reducing physical spare-part inventory thanks to all in-house and on-demand manufacturing. The manufacturer will produce final end-use rail parts as well as manufacturing tools and prototypes for trains and trams across German-speaking Countries, Germany, Swiss and Austria, speeding up the launch of new platforms.
The adoption of the 3D printer will also enable to leverage the unique properties of Ultem 9085 resin material, which offers high strength-to-weight ratio and flame-smoke-toxicity rating making it ideal for production applications achieving compliance to the Rail Standard EN45545-2. Core to the choice of Stratasys was also the F900 3D printer’s large build tray, for the production of bigger rail parts combined with high levels of reliability and repeatability.