Key figures
Under 3 days
from modelling to
ready to install
+20x
cost savings for the
end customer
10+ years
added service life for
the electric motor
Objective
A nearly new industrial compressor at a Kompressorimaailma customer site came to a standstill due to a broken fan blade, and the spare part was unavailable anywhere. Replacing the electric main motor would have taken weeks and cost thousands of euros.
Solution
3DStep modelled the broken part and manufactured a new fan blade in PA12 nylon, meeting the thermal and mechanical requirements of the application. Within three days, the critical compressor was back in operation.
Result
3D printing delivered over 20x cost savings, and the sandblasting and painting company’s production kept running. A machine only a few years old was able to continue its service, with over ten years of use still ahead.
A failed compressor can bring an entire production line to a halt – especially when the required spare part is simply not available. When a critical component failed on a Kompressorimaailma customer’s compressed air system, 3DStep had the answer. A new part was modelled and printed in under three days, delivering over 20x cost savings for the end customer.
Specialist components are rarely held in stock, and manufacturer lead times can stretch from weeks to months. Kompressorimaailma, which supplies and services compressed air equipment for industrial and professional use, encountered an urgent spare parts situation during a service call at a sandblasting and painting customer. It quickly became clear that additive manufacturing was the only sensible solution.
“The fault was traced to the plastic fan blade on the electric main motor. We immediately started looking into where to source a replacement. It turned out the part was not available anywhere in the world. The customer’s entire operation depends on compressed air – the demand is high, and a backup compressor would not have kept things running for long.”
Milko PeltolaManaging Director, Kompressorimaailma Oy
According to Peltola, the component was too complex to manufacture by turning or milling. As a one-off, conventional production would have cost as much as a new motor.
3D printing was the only option.
The electric motor is one of the most expensive components in a compressed air system. Ordering a replacement from a European manufacturer would have meant a six-week lead time and a cost running into several thousand euros. The machine was only a few years old, and replacing the entire motor would have made no sense at all. That is what brought Peltola to 3DStep.
“It took me maybe three minutes to explain the situation before things were already moving. They started drawing the model straight away, put together a quote, we approved it, and the part went into production.”
3DStep established the required operating temperatures, mechanical loads and material properties with Peltola, then selected PA12 nylon as the replacement material. The original part had most likely been injection-moulded nylon. 3D-printed PA12 is a strong match, offering excellent resistance to heat, solvents and industrial use, with a range of post-processing and finishing options available if required.
Hand modelling on the same day.
In additive manufacturing, modelling is often assumed to mean 3D scanning but that is not always the fastest route. Hand modelling with callipers is quicker as a starting point, provided the component geometry allows for it. 3D scanning is the right choice when surfaces are complex, such as double-curved geometries that cannot be measured reliably with callipers. For this fan blade, callipers were sufficient.
The part was printed, verified by measurement and delivered in under three days, which is a typical turnaround for this type of project at 3DStep. The speed and cost-effectiveness of the process drew positive feedback from both Kompressorimaailma and the end customer.
“It was easy to order and commission. Best of all, a compressor only a few years old – with a motor worth thousands and over ten years of service life still ahead – was brought back into operation without an expensive motor replacement.”
The repaired compressed air system has been running without issue ever since. For Kompressorimaailma, additive manufacturing is now the first option to consider whenever a spare part is needed quickly and cannot be sourced off the shelf.
Fast spare part production can resolve a critical standstill.
In urgent spare parts situations, speed is everything. At 3DStep, two to three days is the standard lead time from modelling to a finished part ready for collection or dispatch. In the most time-critical cases, a part can be modelled, printed and ready in as little as one working day. Work begins as soon as the part arrives at 3DStep.
Where needed, modelling or 3D scanning can also be carried out on site at the customer’s premises – for example when a component is fixed within a process machine or too large to transport easily.
Kompressorimaailma Oy is a compressed air specialist supplying and servicing compressed air equipment for industrial and professional customers in Finland.
