Replique/ Miele
Home appliance accessories produced via Replique's 3D printing services.
Replique, a provider of parts via an on-demand 3D printing network, is working with home appliance manufacturer Miele to supply new accessories to customers in batch sizes as low as one.
Starting its 3D4U project in May 2020, Miele has been providing customers without their own 3D printing capacity to benefit from 3D printable accessories for over a year. Working with Replique, the company believes the idea is a scalable business model with physical accessories no longer needing to be stored in large quantities in a warehouse.
Replique, a venture of the BASF business incubator Chemovator, has developed a decentralised production network to enable the on-demand manufacture of parts stored in a digital inventory. Its end-to-end offering connects existing ordering and e-commerce solutions, automatic order processing and expert 3D printing knowledge, while also being qualified to meet Miele’s quality standards. The company has started producing three accessories available on the Miele online shop: the coffee clip, the borehole cleaner and the valuable separator as vacuum cleaner attachments. The coffee clip is being certified for food contact by providing a manufacturing process in accordance with Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP), while Replique and Miele are already planning to expand the product range on the platform later this year.
“Certifying processing in 3D printing is a complex topic that has yet to be really considered in the field of food approval. Working together with our partner Forward AM we are the first 3D printing solutions provider to implement a 3D printing process according to GMP and can therefore guarantee high process reliability,” commented Replique co-founder Dr Max Siebert.
“Miele and Replique are two pioneers in their industries who are taking the range of services from 3D4U to a new level,” added David Buhl, Manager Innovation Management, Miele Room Care. “So far, competing companies have only offered fragmented solutions. Replique is the only partner who has in-depth knowledge of the entire process and the right network to offer a turnkey solution. Their business model is scalable, and we expect to expand our business in Germany, Europe or even worldwide in a short period of time.”
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