Article: Digital Engineering Services – Vehicle Performance
We can create bespoke items entirely from scratch. Digital Engineering (DE) allows for complete freedom of production, enabling you to make design improvements or create brand new components.
We have 3D printed new enclosures for test boxes and new wiring glands for engine bays with heat and chemical resistant flexible polymer. We have created jigs and fixtures used for speeding up depot maintenance tasks, we have 3D printed specific tooling in tool steel, we have even used our rolling stock expertise to completely overhaul maintenance procedures using 3D printed tools and techniques to sharply improve efficiency. Additive Manufacturing (AM) allows for ultimate flexibility. This ultimate flexibility allows us to address the specific reason for your enquiry resulting in targeted problem solving.
We also use DE for condition-based maintenance assessments. Whether it’s to check and report on corrosion and cracking or to provide jigs and tooling to accurately and efficiently record huge amounts of usable data. Our rolling stock credentials allows us to not only provide data – but provide data-led solutions.
Project example:
A UK rolling stock maintainer approached DB ESG for help with making a lengthy maintenance task more efficient. Cleaning their power units (PUs) involved removing them from the vehicle and separate planning for each vehicle side. This process involved heavy lifting, an average of 4 people and over six hours per PU.
DB ESG 3D scanned the PU in-situ, determined potential mounting locations and designed a duct shroud to blow air through the unit that collected the dust and dirt. The shroud could be installed and used without PU removal. Prototypes were 3D printed and trialed to assess the functionality and fitment. Further design improvements and material refinements were made to improve the durability of the shroud.
The final rigid elastomer shroud now enables this maintenance task to be completed in less than 1 hour per PU, using only 1-2 people and eliminating the need for PU removal.
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