The Shipping Industry’s New Plan To 3D Print Spare Parts

Mechanical parts wear out and break. It happens to cars, plains, and factory equipment. But when it happens to a cargo ship miles from shore with a load of products due halfway around the world, it can quickly become a million-dollar problem.

It’s a scenario that marine industry leaders Thyssenkrupp Materials Services, the material distribution and supply chain wing of Thyssenkrupp, and Wilhelmsen Ships Service know well. They’ve invested substantially in 3D printing technology as a solution. They’ve used it to manufacture critical spare parts faster and cheaper than traditional manufacturing and have even dropped 3D-printed parts onto a vessel from a drone. Anything to keep ships moving.