This September, Mercedes-Benz is promising to make 30 spare plastic parts available to print for its cargo trucks.

The innovation is led, in part, by a backlog in the parts supply chain. Mercedes-Benz is the largest truck maker in the world, but the task of distributing parts worldwide is always going to be a large logistical challenge. The company will allow other business to begin printing parts as part of after sales packages.

Mercedes-Benz believes the process will allow parts to be delivered not only much faster but with less of an environmental impact as both the shipping distance and the space required to store parts is reduced. Partner company, Daimler will also be offering the same 30 spare parts.

Andreas Deuschle, Mercedes-Benz Trucks Division head of marketing & operations in the customer services and parts heralded the development as in “keeping with our brand promise” and promised to “set the same benchmarks for reliability, functionality, durability and economy for spare parts from 3D production as for parts from conventional production”.

The development of 3D printing processes for plastic parts now means the company can produce covers, spacers, spring caps, air and cable ducts, clamps, mountings and control elements.

The process itself has been developed based on the Selective Laser Sintering (SLS) printing process.