Report on case studies of additive manufacturing in the South African railway industry

Abstract

Additive manufacturing continues to see increased growth, with adoption in many industrial sectors and increased commercial market value. Market growth is attributed to continued technology and software improvements, growing availability of material types and the ability to produce functional parts with complex geometries. The technology also provides the freedom to optimise the design of both the internal structure and external contours of a component. Additive Manufacturing in South Africa has been driven by the biotechnical/medical, aerospace and automotive industries due to a focus on research and high-value components. To date, there has been limited research involvement from the railway sector. Within the railway environment, the rolling stock and rail infrastructure consists of numerous systems and components which may benefit from the technology in creating replacement spare parts, lightweight structures, improved jigs and fixtures, and new designs of consolidated part-assemblies. This paper presents an industrial view on the use of additive manufacturing and design optimisation techniques for the production of railway related components, together with requirements and challenges. It provides examples that illustrate existing and potential applications of the technology for the design, manufacture and repair of various railway related assets in South Africa.