Daimler Buses is Allowing its Customers to 3D Print Spare Parts

Before long, bus companies Mercedes-Benz and Setra will be able to 3D print parts for their vehicles themselves. The news comes directly from an announcement by the component manufacturer Daimler Buses in a press release. With this initiative, the manufacturer wants to put an end to time-consuming shipments of parts by offering their customers the possibility to manufacture spare parts quickly and cheaply from their own premises. While this decision may seem surprising, this is not the first time Daimler Buses has turned to additive manufacturing. As of 2017, the company was 3D printing more than 780 replacement parts for its vehicles and last year the company already developed a mobile 3D printing center in container to help ease access to 3D printed parts for its customers.

Moving forward, in order to print spare parts for the Mercredes-Benz buses, transport companies will only need is certified 3D printer, a one-off registration process, and a license for the required part in the desired quantity. In this way, all companies with Daimler Buses vehicles will be able to create their own “mini parts factory” themselves. And in order to be able to regulate this whole process, Daimler Buses has called on its digital service brand Omniplus.

How to 3D Print Your Own Spare Parts Thanks to Daimler

In the press release, Daimler Buses noted that the new service offered to customers is similar to streaming platforms, the idea being that it can be used anytime and anywhere. Bus companies must first register with the 3D Printing License eShop and indicate which 3D printers they own. Then, they simply purchase an encrypted 3D printing license to obtain digital files of the desired parts. Once the printing is complete and the component is obtained, the license expires without the data being saved. And if transportation companies want to make a specific part that their 3D printers don’t allow, Omniplus’ partners could also be called upon to do the printing.