1The Siemens Mobility RRX Rail Service Center is Siemens’ first digitalrail maintenance center, with FDM® 3D printing at the heart of its
servicing operation.

Pulling Its
WeightSiemens Mobility Boosts Custom Production
Capability with FDM Additive Manufacturing

Case Study

Siemens Mobility GmbH, part of Siemens AG, sets
the benchmark when it comes to technology andengineering solutions for the mobility and transportindustry. The company promises its customers‘seamless mobility’ – safer, faster, more convenient.
To help make this a realization, Siemens Mobility
recently opened its first digitalized rail maintenancecenter worldwide. Located in Dortmund-Erving,
Germany, the Siemens Mobility RRX Rail Service
Center was designed to perfect digitalization for therail and transport industry.

The ability to 3D print
customized tools and spareparts whenever we needthem, with no minimum
quantity, has transformed oursupply chain.
Michael Kuczmik

Head of Additive Manufacturing,
Siemens Mobility GmbH,
Customer Service

2

Customized Solutions
Increase Flexibility andCustomer Responsiveness
Renowned as Siemens Mobility’s flagship site, theRRX Rail Service Center expects a hundred trains
to enter and leave the depot every month. Thislevel of throughput puts pressure on the supply
chain and requires robust manufacturing solutions
to fulfill the wide-ranging needs of customers,
quickly and cost-effectively. To do that, thecompany harnessed its longstanding experience
with additive manufacturing and invested inadditional 3D printing equipment to meet thedepot’s high demand.
The team has already witnessed tangible benefits,with the ability to 3D print replacement parts
on-demand – increasing its flexibility to meetcustomer requirements. “This is where FDM
additive manufacturing fits in perfectly, providing
us with the capability to rapidly and cost-effectively
produce one-off, customized production parts.”

Case Study

The site’s 3D printer has had a significant impact
on turnaround times to produce replacement parts
compared with traditional manufacturing methods
such as casting. A part can be 3D printed injust hours, according to Tina Eufinger, BusinessDevelopment, Siemens Mobility Division. “Withina week, we can iterate and optimize the design
and then 3D print a final, customized productiongrade part. This has enabled us to reduce themanufacturing time of each part by up to 95%,which has significantly sped up our ability torespond to customers,” she said.

This is where FDM
additive manufacturing
fits in perfectly, providing
us with the capability
to rapidly and costeffectively produce
one-off, customized
production parts.”
Michael Kuczmik

Head of Additive Manufacturing,
Siemens Mobility GmbH,
Customer Service

3

Agile Production With
Customized Tooling
The RRX Rail Service Center is also leveraging
additive manufacturing to increase its toolingcapabilities and overcome the lengthy leadtimes associated with traditional production
methods. The ability to 3D print customizedtools on-demand lets Siemens Mobility bemuch more agile in production, and accelerate
maintenance and repair times. On-demandcustomized production is particularly important in
the rail industry, as vehicles that have been in an
accident or vandalized will typically arrive in thedepot unplanned.

Case Study

One example is an important connector tool
used to maintain train bogies (the chassis orframework that carries the wheelset). Tools forthis application are notoriously hard to produce
via conventional methods. The bogies haveextremely complex shapes, require a high-levelof customization and weigh several tons. Toughand durable materials are required to withstandthe significant forces when the vehicle is moving
or braking.

To handle this job and its other demanding
3D printing tasks, Siemens Mobility uses its
Fortus 450mc™ 3D Printer. It can make oneoff tools customized to each bogie in justa matter of hours. To meet the material
characteristics required for such a demanding
application, the team uses industrial-grade
ULTEM™ 9085 resin material.
“Well-manufactured connectors are essential
tools for the effective and safe maintenance ofbogies, therefore finding additive manufacturing
materials strong enough to withstand suchpressures has been an important exercise,”
explained Kuczmik. “The ULTEM™ 9085 resinmaterial is super-tough, enabling us to leverage
all the customization benefits of 3D printing andreplace our traditional manufacturing method forthis tooling application.”

The Fortus 450mc has enabled Siemens Mobility to reduce the manufacturing time for each replacement part by up to 95%.

4Siemens Mobility is now using its Fortus 450mc to make one-off tools customized to each bogie in a matter of hours.

Kuczmik concluded, “The ability to 3D print customized tools and spare parts whenever we need them,with no minimum quantity, has transformed our supply chain. We have reduced our dependency onoutsourcing tools via suppliers and reduced cost per part, while also opening up more revenue streams
by being able to service more low-volume jobs cost-effectively and efficiently.”

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Case Study

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