Assessment and Production of Spare Parts for Food and Water Supply

In a large-scale crisis or wartime scenario, obtaining spare parts may become challenging. If supply chains are disrupted, it is essential to maintain food and drinking water production in Sweden. To address this, the Swedish Food Agency has tasked the Application Center for Additive Manufacturing at RISE with exploring alternative methods for supplying infrastructure and production facilities with critical components through local manufacturing, reproduction, or repair.

The project is divided into several phases. The first phase involves identifying critical spare parts necessary for food and drinking water supply. The next phase is to test additive manufacturing, or 3D printing, as a method for producing these parts.

About additive manufacturing

Additive manufacturing (AM) is a flexible production process that enables the rapid and efficient creation of complex geometric shapes. The technology can be adapted for a variety of materials, including metals, plastics, and composites, and is currently employed across numerous industries, such as aerospace, healthcare, and automotive.

Several of the benefits of this technology can be advantageous in crisis situations. For example, it does not rely on large manufacturing facilities, and the transition from model to production is swift. Utilizing additive manufacturing can help sustain production even when global logistics flows are compromised.

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The Application Center for Additive Manufacturing is run by RISE together with the center's academic and industrial partners and through support from the Västra Götaland region, Vinnova and the European Union.