Go Beyond Spare Parts with 3D Printing and Machine Learning ENGINEERING.com

This type of approach is extremely versatile, and allows manufacturing teams to visualize large design projects through miniature scale models, design and create small runs of custom parts and equipment for customers and prototype new products. As 3D printing speeds increase, Gartner predicts the 3D printing industry will be a $4.6 billion market by 2019. Until now, the primary application for 3D printing in discrete industries has been prototyping new parts and equipment, but there's significant room for expansion, especially in the efficient fabrication of spare parts. Most discrete manufacturers are already producing spare parts, but few have adopted tactical 3D printing as an update to their process. The lead time currently required to create many spare parts can be both long and expensive, so the only way to ensure these parts are available to the customer in a timely fashion is to create and store them in advance.