Problems of using additive technologies for the manufacture of spare parts for machines

Abstract

Additive technology can be used effectively to manufacture spare parts required for unscheduled machine repairs caused by sudden machine failures, especially if machine downtime due to failures results in significant production losses. However, these technologies have not been widely used to date in the manufacture of spare parts, which is due to a number of problems that this article focuses on. The article reviews different types of additive technologies, considers the peculiarities of manufacturing machine parts from metals and polymers with their help. The reasons restraining wide application of additive technologies for manufacturing of spare parts, including high cost of 3D-printers and building materials, limited functionality of 3D-printers and limited spectrum of building materials are discussed. The methodology of estimation of economic efficiency of acquisition of the spare parts made with application of additive technologies which basis is made by a technique of a comparative estimation of the expenses connected with repair, assuming acquisition of the spare parts made on different variants by means of both additive, and traditional technologies is described. According to the results of this assessment, it is decided that it is expedient to use additive technologies for manufacturing of spare parts according to one of the variants, for which the costs associated with repair are the lowest. Individual cases of making such a decision - based on the criteria of minimizing the purchase price of spare parts and minimizing the duration of their manufacture - are considered. The first case occurs when the required part is usually delivered not individually, but as a part of a unit or in a set with other parts, and the purchase price of the unit or set is much higher than the purchase price of a separate part made with the help of additive technologies; the second case is when the duration of downtime associated with the purchase of a part made with conventional technologies is much longer than the duration of downtime associated with the purchase of spare parts made with additive technologies.