Replique is a German startup that specializes in 3D printing and additive manufacturing.
“All industries – including HVAC&R – are facing global challenges, from the pandemic and geopolitical issues, to sustainability demands and disrupted supply chains, and these challenges result in higher costs, increased risk and slower delivery time” said Mark Winker, Replique’s Technical Sales Expert. “3D printing can offer the solution.”
These remarks were made by Winker during his keynote speech at the ATMOsphere Europe Summit on Natural Refrigerants. The conference took place November 15–16 in Brussels and was organized by ATMOsphere, publisher of R744.com.
As detailed during Winker’s presentation, Replique will only work with HVAC&R manufacturers that use natural refrigerants.
“All industries – including HVAC&R – are facing global challenges… 3D printing can offer the solution.”
Mark Winker, Replique
Production by convention
According to Winker, current production methods have “significant limitations” and create challenges around inventory management and logistics.
Formative manufacturing – i.e., using molds to cast parts or products – is generally only cost-competitive in large quantities, which leads to high upfront costs for OEMs and long-term storage requirements to manage the inventory, he said.
Subtractive manufacturing – i.e., taking a block of material and carving it to produce a part or product – limits design complexity and wastes a lot of material, he added.
“3D printing is different,” explained Winker. “It doesn’t need any additional tools; it just needs the [printing] The machine as well as the raw material. It is used only where it is required. It’s much more efficient in resource consumption than conventional productions methods.”
By eliminating limitations in traditional manufacturing technologies, additive manufacture allows new ideas and possibilities for product design. This is a great way to meet increasing customer demands for customizing products. The additive manufacturing process is compatible with numerous materials including aluminum, stainless steel and copper as well as plastics, resins, silicone, titanium, and other polymers.
“All the materials you [use] in your products can be printed today on an industrial scale and to the expected quality,” he added.
Quality of the printed product is assured based on a manufacturer’s specifications and printing partners’ following the required safety procedures, said Winker.
Management of inventory
According to Winker, 80% of a manufacturer’s sales come from just 20% of its inventory, with the remaining 80% of its inventory rarely needed.
Manufacturers can use 3D printing to improve their ability to control inventory and lower warehousing costs, said he.
Rather than producing parts in large volumes – to reduce per-unit costs – and storing them all until they’re needed, manufacturers can store designs digitally and print parts when requested by customers. This applies especially to spare parts which is becoming increasingly important, as manufacturers have to repair products.
“OEMs struggle to provide spare parts while keeping overhead costs low,” he explained. But with 3D printing, “manufacturers can simply store parts digitally, print them when needed and get them sent directly to the end user.”
At the moment, 3D printing is an efficient and cost-competitive means of production for small and medium volumes – around 1,500–5,000 pieces. He said that 3D printing is likely to become more popular for large-volume production in the coming five years.
Resource efficiency
By using the minimum amount of raw materials to create a product, 3D printing helps reduce waste.
“The additive process means that almost only the material that is part of the final product is used,” explained Winker.
It reduces production waste, improves sustainability and lowers costs.
Simple supply chain
“By utilizing industrial 3D printing, we’re creating a more resilient and sustainable supply chain,” said Winker during his presentation.
This is due to a more simplified value chain of fewer links, with Replique offering an “end-to-end solution,” according to Winker.
“By utilizing industrial 3D printing, we’re creating a more resilient and sustainable supply chain.”
Mark Winker, Replique
He explained that when a part is needed, the raw material and product design is sent to whichever certified 3D printer is closest to the product’s destination. This reduces the delivery time, costs and embedded carbon footprint.
“Sending a digital file to 3D printer closer to an end user can save time, money and CO2 emissions from transport,” he explained. “You can do overseas business overnight.”
According to Winker, 3D printing can “boost sustainability in each stage of product life cycle, from product design to disposal and recycling.”