Russian Railways (RZD) is currently testing 36 attachments for door handles provided by Siemens Mobility. The attachments enable doors to be opened with an elbow or lower arm rather than a hand and thus reduce the risk of spreading germs or a virus like Covid-19.
Siemens Mobility has installed the prototypes in several Desiro trains being operated in the Moscow area by Russian Railways. The parts are produced with the help of additive manufacturing and can be delivered on demand. Implementation in further train fleets is being planned.
Siemens Mobility recently purchased two Stratasys 3D printers to help with the maintenance of the Russian train fleet, which also includes several Velaro high-speed trains. Siemens Mobility has been contracted to provide service and maintenance of the Velaro trains for a period of 30 years.
The printers are being used in Moscow and St. Petersburg and are a cornerstone of the “Easy Sparovation Part” network established by Siemens Mobility. The objective of the network is to further optimize rail transport with the help of additive manufacturing and a digital inventory of original train components and simplify the exchange and manufacturing of spare parts for trains. This will reduce time and production costs and the need for spare parts.
Sabrina Soussan, CEO of Siemens Mobility, said: “3D printing gives us the flexibility to manufacture and replace spare parts ourselves any time in daily business. We’re using this technology now to quickly produce attachments for door handles on demand so we can meet our customers’ growing need for special health and protection measures.”
The Center of Competence for Siemens Mobility’s AM Network is based in the German city of Erlangen. In addition to operations in Moscow and St. Petersburg, there are further facilities in Dortmund and Wegberg-Wildenrath (Germany).
Photo credit: Siemens Mobility
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