The Royal Netherlands Navy has a long history and modern advantages.
They possess a large fleet of ships, helicopters, speedboats, and submarines, spread across the globe, and frequently travel to distant locations to carry out challenging missions.
They are committed to excellence and innovation, and always stand at the forefront of maritime defense.
Their assets often require spare parts, which presents logistical challenges.
Carrying a large number of unused spare parts takes up valuable space, increases weight, and incurs high costs.
Transporting these spare parts, especially by helicopter, could take weeks and is extremely expensive, even if possible.
In addition, suppliers sometimes stop producing necessary spare parts, complicating operations.
3D printing as a solution
To address this significant challenge, the Royal Netherlands Navy adopted 3D printing technology.
This allows them to produce spare parts locally on demand.
Each ship is equipped with an UltiMaker 3D printer and a variety of materials, enabling it to print for a wide range of applications.
The parts are designed and tested at the headquarters in Den Helder.
Once approved, it will be added to the digital directory.
The crew can simply select and print the required parts directly on board.
The Navy will also print optimized parts with better performance, which can be distributed digitally and manufactured locally.
The Royal Netherlands Navy uses UltiMaker's 3D printing software Cura and Digital Factory for secure and reliable production that meets IT security standards and stringent operational requirements.
Cura is the most popular slicing software for preparing 3D models for printing, while UltiMaker's Digital Factory platform allows users to remotely manage and monitor their 3D printers and print jobs, thereby improving workflow efficiency.
Even with its large team, Digital Factory always prioritizes security and ensures that data is protected throughout the process without compromising accessibility.
The Royal Netherlands Navy uses a variety of wires, including ABS , PETG , and composite carbon fiber .
For example, PETG is often used in applications that require resistance to extreme temperatures, abrasion, chemicals, and water and moisture.
This time, the navy needs a saltwater-resistant material.
They used PETG 3D printing to create a brand new water filter to replace the old brass water filter.
Composite carbon fiber wire is used when components need to balance strength and weight, such as the antenna brackets for landing craft printed by the Royal Netherlands Navy.
These brackets ensure the antenna is securely fixed and allow for safe raising and lowering of the antenna.
Carbon fiber is particularly important because it can print traditionally heavy components using lightweight materials, thereby reducing the weight of transportation vehicles and the need to transport heavy goods globally.
The diversity of materials enables the Navy to manufacture parts suitable for any environment or condition.
Ship components primarily require strength and wear resistance, while army or air force components typically need to withstand extreme heat or cold.
For example, brackets installed on land vehicles must withstand prolonged exposure to sunlight.
Due to the Royal Netherlands Navy's global deployment, these components must be able to withstand a variety of harsh conditions.
Thanks to the capabilities of Cura software, the UltiMaker 3D printer can seamlessly use UltiMaker and third-party supplies, providing users with greater flexibility.
Cura brings a smooth experience to UltiMaker printers, providing optimized print profiles and faster print speeds while maintaining compatibility with third-party products.
UltiMaker is committed to providing regular security updates and new feature updates for Cura users.
The Royal Netherlands Navy is a prime example of how local manufacturing is superior to traditional spare parts solutions.
The ship is equipped with a 3D printer, which avoids the need for a large number of spare parts on board.
In addition, many parts do not need to be transported to remote areas, thus saving time and reducing costs.
These advantages also apply to many other industries.
Factories can benefit from local parts production, ensuring uptime for production processes, saving industrial space, and avoiding air freight of parts.
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SanDiMa offers more than just 3D printing ; we provide three major OEM services: " 3D Printing Manufacturing ," " 3D Scanning Services ," and " Spatial 3D Scanning Services "!
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