The manufacturing of food and beverages is a rapidly expanding sector of the economy, but there are still many difficulties in the industry. Supply chain interruptions, labor shortages, and growing cost pressures all affect manufacturers. Thousands of manufacturers in the food and beverage and other industries have saved on custom tooling and MRO parts, supported aging equipment, reduced spare part inventory, and guaranteed operator safety by installing a Markforged 3D printer on the factory floor.
Thankfully, 3D printing has developed into an effective tool for addressing issues on the factory floor, moving past its roots in prototyping. Let’s examine the useful solutions that 3D printing provides for the food and beverage sector.
Reduce Lead Times for Replacement Parts
Wear and tear on manufacturing equipment leads to maintenance and downtime, impacting food and beverage manufacturer’s bottom line. 3D printing enhances agility by allowing rapid customization of equipment and speedy replacement parts during line-down events.
Production efficiency is impacted by maintenance and downtime caused by wear and tear on manufacturing equipment. When it comes to making replacement parts like brackets, pushers, and EOAT on demand, 3D printing is an affordable option.
3D printed EOA grippers
Decrease Supply Chain Costs
The sourcing process is decentralized through additive manufacturing, which lessens the environmental effects of intricate supply chains. Manufacturers just print a part at the factory when they have to retool an assembly line to fit new products. An efficient and sustainable manufacturing process is facilitated by the introduction of a digital 3D printing platform onto the factory floor, which also lessens manufacturers’ reliance on suppliers and excess spending on resources, materials, and transportation.
In comparison to outsourced production, in-house 3D printing of replacement pushers can be completed in a few hours, yielding much faster lead times and lower part costs. By doing this, the manufacturing line can resume operations without having to wait for parts development and shipping, which saves money on downtime.
3D printed assembly line pusher
Ensure Operator Safety
For the benefit of operators’ health and productivity, production line safety must be guaranteed. This emphasizes the significance of accident prevention and the implementation of safeguards to reduce injury risks associated with moving parts. Manufacturers who violate these regulations risk significant fines from regulatory safety agencies. Safeguards along with other ergonomic tools can all be made with 3D printing. These parts are simple, but they work wonders for maintaining operator safety on the production line while also being very affordable.
Custom 3D printed safeguard
In the food and beverage industry, 3D printing provides solutions for persistent issues. Manufacturers can save a lot of money on custom tooling and maintenance and repair (MRO) parts, save ample time, create effective new designs, and extend the life of outdated machinery by using in-house 3D printing technology. Manufacturing faces difficulties when increasing automation on the production line, but additive manufacturing solves these issues.
Learn more about EOAT, pusher and safeguard 3D printing applications in the food and beverage industry.
