Ostrava, 7 July 2019 – The ArcelorMittal steel mill in Ostrava has been using a 3D printer to make spare parts. This allows manufacturing components which are no longer available or have a long delivery time and the only solution would be an exchange for larger technological units. The 3D printer can make the components quicker and cheaper than an external company.

The idea to make spare parts on a 3D printer has come from employees of the mill. They can contribute with a proposal which spare parts need a replacement thus, saving the time and money for the necessary repairs.

“The design engineer makes a 3D model of the component. We print it out, clean it off, and it is ready for use. The whole process takes several hours,” says Jan Čech, authorized designer of the Ostrava steel mill.

One of the first components made this way was a plastic cog wheel for the gear box of the stop valve and regulation fittings drives. Dozens of such cog wheels are needed at the steel mill. “Plastic cog wheels are often the cause of malfunctions in servomotors. But they can no longer be bought. That’s why we made them ourselves for approximately 200 CZK per piece while the replacement of the whole engine would cost 60, 000 CZK. Furthermore we can respond faster to the need for spare parts than external suppliers can,” explains Čech.

ArcelorMittal Ostrava a.s. is part of the world’s largest steel and mining group ArcelorMittal. Annually it produces 2 million tonnes of steel, which is mainly used in construction and machinery. It is the leading manufacturer of road safety barriers and tubes in the Czech Republic. Besides the Czech market the company sells its products to more than 40 countries around the world. ArcelorMittal has 6,500 employees in the Moravian-Silesian Region. The 2018 average income was CZK 39,180. As a result of the above-standard greening, the company manufactures its products with a minimum possible environmental footprint. The sole shareholder is ArcelorMittal Holdings A.G.

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LIBERTY Ostrava a.s.
Barbora Černá Dvořáková
Head of Communicaions
T +420 595 683 390
M +420 606 774 346
barbora.cerna-dvorakova@libertysteelgroup.com