May 18, 2021
Digital manufacturing is a real game-changer for bringing spare parts to market in a sustainable way. It even solves the crucial problem of creating spare parts which are not available anymore for classic machinery. 3D printing and digitalized workflows put classical old-timers back safely on the road.
Use Case: A 1954 Austin Healy back on the road
Wilfried, a passionate old-timer driver, was searching for a spare part for his classic 1954 Austin Healey. This part is crucial for the car to drive safely without any hazard for the driver or the vehicle itself. Since the spare part was no longer available with the original manufacturer, the driver turned to digital production technologies.
The collector was aware of the Twikit digital processes and the internal application design team. That is why Wilfried appealed to Twikit to replace the necessary part and restore his old-timer. Twikit’s application team reverse-engineered the component, and 3D printed it in a suitable material, providing the car a safe journey ahead.
The collector can now drive his 1954 Austin Healey safely, with the knowledge of a durable and resistant spare part mounted in the old-timer brought forward by digital manufacturing.
Digital manufacturing of legacy spare parts
When spare parts for classic cars are not available anymore, restoration becomes a complex and often expensive matter. Digitalizing the manufacturing process and 3D printing offer the solution by reproducing broken or missing parts in sustainable materials in an efficient and labor-reductive way.
The technology also enables the vehicle owner to keep the car original. How? The to-be-replaced parts’ design is completely recreated (and often also improved) to the slightest detail. The 3D printed component a replica of the original can be approved by the automotive OEM. Digital manufacturing keeps the old-timer on the road and high in value.
Digital and automated workflows for legacy spare parts are rapidly growing in importance thanks to the total cost of ownership reduction of the stock, ease of use, and in many cases, the shortening of the lead time.
This also goes for the production of new cars. Digital manufacturing adds value by making a physical stock obsolete and making OEMs independent of having the correct parts stored. All parts can be produced on-demand.
Twikit enables the end-to-end automated digital workflow for spare parts at scale
Twikit has a proven software solution which enables on-demand production for automotive parts at scale, such as spare parts. The technology connects the front-end with the back-end and allows for a seamless end-to-end digital manufacturing flow.
As a specific example, internal and external customers can order spare parts in a user-friendly front-end which is easy to integrate into any website or web–shop. Once the order in the front-end interface is confirmed, the software creates a unique digital production file out of the digital warehouse with all necessary information (such as a unique number).
Parts can be ordered from anywhere around the globe and produced de-centrally due to the distributed workflow of the Twikit solution. This is what the Twikit cloud-based software solution enables: an end-to-end automated digital workflow for individualized parts at scale and on-demand. This working flow eliminates cost-heavy inventories, manufacturing dependencies and storage of physical molds.
3D printing gets old-timers out from under the dust
Digital manufacturing allows classic car collectors a longer lifespan for their vintage vehicles and an improved customer experience through a web-based front-end interface and a more efficient manufacturing process through digital automation. Exploring the legacy spare part market opens up doors to new strategic routes and gets classic cars out from under the dust and back on the road.
Thanks to the flexibility of Twikit’s software solution, a fully digitalized and automated workflow for spare parts is now accessible.