TECHNO-ECONOMIC ANALYSIS OF THE INNOVATED TECHNOLOGY FOR THE PRODUCTION OF WAGONS BRAKE TRIANGLE

Abstract

Increasing profits by reducing costs during product development and its production and quality increasingare challenges that companies face every day in their operations. The aspiration of modern production is to achievean effect similar to those in mass production (or at least in large series production) even on extremely small series ofproducts, even on personalized products. Techno-economic analysis in modern companies is an integral part of thecompany's modern information system. This paper presents a techno-economic analysis of innovative technologiesfor the production of a wagons triangle brake, a product that is an integral part of the brake system of freight andpassenger wagons of the older generation: casting and additive technologies. Given that there are currently availabledifferent production technologies that can be applied, one of the criteria for choosing a production technology is itsprofitability. The choice of solution, whether the product will be made by casting (or welding) or additivetechnology, is mostly influenced by the size of the series. In the case of the cast part, the so-called constant costs(model, molds for cores), but variable costs are therefore lower, i.e., costs proportional to the number ofmanufactured pieces. Additive technologies that can be used to make such parts can use numerous methods, three ofwhich stand out due to their application in practice. These are stereolithography (STL), extruded material (EBM)and direct metal laser sintering (DMLS). Machine cost is the main factor for stereolithography and melt extrusion,while material cost is the main factor for laser sintering. The price of additively manufactured parts is calculatedaccording to the cost model that follows activities, where each cost is linked to a specific activity. The analysisindicates that additive technologies are not such a cheap process, especially in serial production, but they areexcellent in individual production or during rapid prototyping, and the price of the product obtained by additivetechnology is the same for each piece. Also, cast parts have high initial costs (casting molds, etc.), but castings arerelatively cheap, which leads to a drop in the total price as the series increases. Both technologies have limitations interms of the materials that can be used in casting or additive manufacturing processes. Based on the technoeconomicanalysis, it can be concluded, also, that certain activities require the engagement of other companies thatshould be entrusted with certain business activities or tasks - in this way, the company's resources are saved andemployed on other more expedient activities that will bring greater benefits, and the system work is not disturbed ordisturbed. The advantage of casting technology over additive technologies is already profitable for series over 42pieces, and compared to forging, the casting of this part of the product is 2.5 times cheaper.