Cooperation 3D Printing Optimizes the Food and Beverage Industry

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Digital spare parts production is now being rethought! The companies Morsan and Lehvoss are anchoring 3D printing in the food and beverage industry ...

According to Lehvoss, the demands placed on spare parts in the food and beverage industry are quite high. There are extreme mechanical loads, an aggressive cleaning environment and permanently high cycle rates when it comes to filling and packaging lines. Together, Morsan and the Lehvoss Group are now demonstrating how industrial 3D printing can set completely new standards in this respect. This works with digitally available spare parts, which are manufactured from the high-performance materials of the Luvocom 3F series, as emphasized.

Re-Design With 3D Printing is Cheaper for Spare Parts

As a specialized manufacturer of spare and functional parts for the food and beverage industry, Morsan consistently pursues a digital approach. This means that instead of maintaining physical storage capacities for thousands of spare parts, the required components are stored as digital data sets (digital warehouse) and additively manufactured as required. Industrial 3D printing therefore not only enables the fast and flexible supply of spare parts, but also the targeted redesign of existing components. This so-called re-design can significantly improve the service life, functionality and cost-effectiveness of many components. And in the case of smaller quantities, often at lower costs than conventionally manufactured original parts.

Printed Components Also Withstand Extreme Conditions

As mentioned above, the components in high-speed filling systems and conveyor systems are subjected to considerable loads—including those additively manufactured from Levoss plastic. Gear wheels are subjected to high mechanical loads, which also applies to guide elements. Added to this are the chemicals involved in cleaning and disinfection. And the 24/7 continuous load accelerates wear due to abrasion. Morsan therefore relies specifically on Luvocom 3F materials to meet these requirements. The compounds developed for industrial FFF/FDM 3D printing enable reproducible component quality, high layer strength and chemical and thermal resistance tailored to the application, from PET (polyethylene terephthalate) to PA (polyamide) and PPS (polyphenylene sulphide). Morsan's active portfolio already includes several hundred additively manufactured spare parts (see image). These include sprockets for conveyor belts, sliding and guide plates for conveyor chains, bottle clamps and grippers, adjustable shaft guides as well as slides and ejectors for beverage can handling. Industrial 3D printing has therefore long since left the prototype field. Morsan therefore emphasizes that additive manufacturing of these components is not an experiment, but an integral part of production and maintenance.