Production and manufacturing processes are witnessing a significant increase in the reliance on 3D printers in this field, especially in complex and rare forms. The aim of this study is to demonstrate the capability and efficiency of a 3D printer in the production of unique and complex spare parts. A small damaged gear (a damaged spare part for the coffee machine) was selected as a case study due to the difficulty of obtaining such a spare part. Reverse engineering was used to take the necessary measurements of the gear and redraw it using the SolidWorks program, and then convert it to the printer's program and print it. A Creality Ender 3 Pro printer and polylactic acid (PLA) were used for the purpose of gear printing, and the printing time took about 4 hours. The measurements of the printed piece showed a great match as the accuracy reached in the range of ±0.15mm. The results of the comparison also showed that the cost of printing the gear is estimated at $1, while the cost of producing the same gear ranges from (10-25) dollars by traditional methods such as CNC milling or machining, while the molds are less expensive but require the purchase of large quantities (+1000), which contradicts the goal of the study and increases the cost significantly. Laboratory tests have also proven the efficiency of the material after printing, as good mechanical properties have been obtained and suitable for the intended purpose. Finally, the study concluded that the use of a 3D printer is an excellent and cheap solution for the purpose of making spare parts, especially unique and rare.

Production, Manufacturing, 3D printer, Gear, Spare part, CNC Milling, and Machining

A. Su and S. J. Al’Aref, “History of 3D Printing,” in 3D Printing Applications in Cardiovascular Medicine, Elsevier, 2018, pp. 1–10. doi: 10.1016/B978-0-12-803917-5.00001-8.

I. Gibson, D. Rosen, and B. Stucker, Additive Manufacturing Technologies. New York, NY: Springer New York, 2015. doi: 10.1007/978-1-4939-2113-3.

C. W. Hull, “The Birth of 3D Printing,” Research-Technology Management, vol. 58, no. 6, pp. 25–30, Nov. 2015, doi: 10.5437/08956308X5806067.

B. Evans, Practical 3D printers: The science and art of 3D printing. Apress, 2012.

J. Hiemenz, “3D printing with FDM: How it Works,” Stratasys Inc, vol. 1, pp. 1–5, 2011.

R. Bogue, “3D printing: the dawn of a new era in manufacturing?,” Assembly Automation, vol. 33, no. 4, pp. 307–311, Sep. 2013, doi: 10.1108/AA-06-2013-055.

D. G. Schniederjans, “Adoption of 3D-printing technologies in manufacturing: A survey analysis,” Int J Prod Econ, vol. 183, pp. 287–298, Jan. 2017, doi: 10.1016/j.ijpe.2016.11.008.

H.-C. Wu and T.-C. T. Chen, “Quality control issues in 3D-printing manufacturing: a review,” Rapid Prototyp J, vol. 24, no. 3, pp. 607–614, Apr. 2018, doi: 10.1108/RPJ-02-2017-0031.

N. Shahrubudin, T. C. Lee, and R. Ramlan, “An Overview on 3D Printing Technology: Technological, Materials, and Applications,” Procedia Manuf, vol. 35, pp. 1286–1296, 2019, doi: 10.1016/j.promfg.2019.06.089.

D. Srinivasan et al., “3D Printing Manufacturing Techniques, Materials, and Applications: An Overview,” Advances in Materials Science and Engineering, vol. 2021, no. 1, Jan. 2021, doi: 10.1155/2021/5756563.

J. Wakiru and P. Muchiri, “Integrating Remanufactured and 3D Parts in Asset Maintenance Improvement,” 2024, pp. 547–559. doi: 10.1007/978-3-031-52649-7_43.

M. Richert, M. Dudek, and D. Sala, “Surface Quality as a Factor Affecting the Functionality of Products Manufactured with Metal and 3D Printing Technologies,” Materials, vol. 17, no. 21, p. 5371, Nov. 2024, doi: 10.3390/ma17215371.

M. Abdelkader, S. Petrik, D. Nestler, and M. Fijalkowski, “Ceramics 3D Printing: A Comprehensive Overview and Applications, with Brief Insights into Industry and Market,” Ceramics, vol. 7, no. 1, pp. 68–85, Jan. 2024, doi: 10.3390/ceramics7010006.

D. Sala and M. Richert, “Perspectives of Additive Manufacturing in 5.0 Industry,” Materials, vol. 18, no. 2, p. 429, Jan. 2025, doi: 10.3390/ma18020429.

B. Choudhuri, M. F. Uddin, and R. Sen, “Review on 3D printing technology in automotive industry and electric vehicle,” Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Part D: Journal of Automobile Engineering, May 2025, doi: 10.1177/09544070251337273.

A. Kantaros, C. Drosos, M. Papoutsidakis, E. Pallis, and T. Ganetsos, “The Role of 3D Printing in Advancing Automated Manufacturing Systems: Opportunities and Challenges,” Automation, vol. 6, no. 2, p. 21, May 2025, doi: 10.3390/automation6020021.

I. Rojek, D. Mikołajewski, M. Kempiński, K. Galas, and A. Piszcz, “Emerging Applications of Machine Learning in 3D Printing,” Applied Sciences, vol. 15, no. 4, p. 1781, Feb. 2025, doi: 10.3390/app15041781.

A. Balloni, L. Monferdini, and E. Bottani, “The Impact of Additive Manufacturing on Supply Chain Management: Trends, Challenges and Future Directions,” Procedia Comput Sci, vol. 253, pp. 2961–2970, 2025, doi: 10.1016/j.procs.2025.02.020.

T. A. Yeshiwas, A. B. Tiruneh, and M. A. Sisay, “A review article on the assessment of additive manufacturing,” Journal of Materials Science: Materials in Engineering, vol. 20, no. 1, p. 85, Jul. 2025, doi: 10.1186/s40712-025-00306-8.

“Test Method for Tensile Properties of Plastics,” Dec. 15, 2014, ASTM International, West Conshohocken, PA. doi: 10.1520/D0638-14.

“Test Method for Rockwell Hardness of Plastics and Electrical Insulating Materials,” May 10, 1998, ASTM International, West Conshohocken, PA. doi: 10.1520/D0785-98E01.