Are Missing Spare Parts Slowing Down Your Process?

Is a Missing Spare Part Slowing Down Your Manufacturing Process?

March 8, 2021

Digitize critical parts with Alchemy Industrial.

Have you been burned by downtime? You know how it goes: one small component—like a simple bushing—costs you weeks of lead time, slowing down the entire manufacturing process. If this situation sounds familiar, I’m here to assure you that it doesn’t have to be that way.

When producing parts to scale, you’re only as fast as the weakest link in your supply chain. In other words, you can’t let your whole manufacturing cycle be beholden to one component.

Alchemy Industrial encourages customers to plan for every detail in the product development phase: from choosing the right materials to designing for manufacturability to considering the need for spare parts.

These strategies for managing spare parts will help keep your prototype on track in the event that a component creates a bottleneck in the manufacturing process.

Creating a Plan for Spare Parts Management

Your plan for spare parts management should include:

1. Evaluating at-risk parts.

Are you aware of all expiration dates? If, for example, your prototype will be subjected to harsh weather or mechanical conditions, work with your engineers to determine when a part will need to be replaced. Knowing that you have five years instead of two (or vice versa) will affect your plan for managing spare parts.

2. Creating a list of parts you need spares for.

This second point goes hand-in-hand with the first. If you know that a particular part in your prototype will wear and tear in a year, make sure that part is accessible. Create an inventory of all the prototypes you need spares for. You may feel like you’re wasting time on an extra step, but once your product hits mass production, you’ll be glad to have that inventory.

3. Conduct a cost-benefit analysis of your materials.

There may be opportunities to 3D print parts that were originally machined and save yourself some money. Traditional manufacturing requires a large quantity of raw material, much of which goes to waste. With 3D printing, you pay for exactly what you need. Instead of having to buy a large billet for 1-3 pieces of bushing, for example, you can get that small quantity of parts printed at a lower cost. (Concerned about strength and durability? We have plenty of materials that are #stronglikemetal!)

Digitize Critical Parts at Alchemy Industrial

If you really want spare parts to be ready when you need them, the best solution is to digitize your critical parts.

Alchemy Industrial has the technology to computerize your consumable parts, whether we’re 3D scanning or rebuilding the part from the ground up. With our 4.0 additive manufacturing techniques, you can: