BuyAnyPart, a UK-based online spare part supplier, has announced 3D printed part replacement service for obsolete farming equipment.
The online database currently houses 500,000 replacement parts. The parts can be searched using name or part number. Parts not available on the database can be ordered using BuyAnyPart’s on-demand 3D printing service.
The CEO of BuyAnyPart, David Smith, said “this technology [3D printing] opens a whole range of possibilities for farmers, who up until now have had to rely cannibalising other machines, or CNC manufacture of part to keep their older machinery running. But as machines age and fewer are in operation the spare parts get more and more difficult to source.”
Farmers can find themselves spending more time looking for a part than fixing the machine, if the part is available at all. We aim to change that by providing them a 3D printing service.”
BuyAnyPart’s quoted price includes VAT and UK delivery.
BuyAnyPart
Having one of those days! You go to turn it on and………nothing, and just when you need it most. If you need a spare part then check us out buyanypart.co.uk
Cost of replacing farming equipment
In UK, Germany, France, and Canada farm machinery costs for growing wheat account for 20-30% of the total farming budget.
Harry Henderson, Knowledge Exchange Manager of Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB), said, “The biggest cost element in growing a tonne of wheat is machinery, at between 25 and 30 percent of the total spend.”
An academic study conducted in Poland, Repair cost of tractors and agricultural machines in family farms (2015), showed that annual costs of spare parts of tractors, sprayers and trailers, ranged between PLN 2,000 and PLN 8,000 or $530 to $2100. These costs are relative to the farm size and the value of the machine.
Due to farmer ingenuity in renovating machinery the average lifespan of equipment is 20-40 years. However, during this time spare parts often become obsolete, therefore, difficult to replace. The Polish study showed that machine parts can be 19-61% more costly than their original price.
AHDB’s Henderson also explained that in the absence of a long-term machine replacement policy, keeping old machinery running remains a cost-effective alternative to early replacement.
But things might change now, as BuyAnyPart’s on-demand 3D printing service could make spare parts more accessible and affordable to the farmers.
3D printing spare parts
Due to labor and cost saving benefits of 3D printed spare parts an increasing number of industries are using AM.
German railway company and global rolling stock operator, Deutsche Bahn, is using 3D printing to extend the life of older fleet assets. After a successful trial the company is expanding its 3D printed parts operation and is also leading the ‘Mobility goes Additive’ network. Deutsche Bahn has plans to 3D print 15,000 spare parts by the end of 2018.
In a recent interview with 3D Printing Industry, Paul Guillaumot, founder and CEO of Spare Parts 3D, a service bureau, explained that 3D printing technology will be a game changer for spare part inventory management in the next five years.
Spare Parts 3D is also working with quality assurance company DNV GL of Norway. The purpose of this collaboration is to develop qualification and certification standards for the O&G and the marine industry.
Also in the maritime sector, Ivaldi Group, are providing on-demand services with additive manufacturing and metal fabrication technology for the maritime and offshore industries. The California HQ’d company, recently partnered with Wilhelmsen, the largest maritime network in the world. The partnership is for the provision of obsolete spare parts and non-critical components to the clients in the marine industry.
Due to its efficiency, it is hoped that on-demand 3D printing of spare parts will become the standard in the manufacturing industry.
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