Case Study: Angel Trains achieves 94% faster part lead times and up to 50% cost savings with Stratasys Rail Industry Solution

Angel Trains and DB ESG deploy the first 3D printed parts on UK passenger trains

Angel Trains, the UK’s leading rolling stock provider, faced growing difficulty sourcing low‑volume replacement parts for aging fleets: long lead times, high costs and obsolete suppliers made maintenance slow and expensive. To address this, Angel Trains partnered with DB ESG and Stratasys, using the Stratasys Rail Industry Solution to explore 3D‑printed on‑demand parts for passenger trains.

Stratasys delivered rail‑qualified, production‑grade FDM printing (using a Fortus 450mc and ULTEM™ 9085 resin) to produce four armrests and seven grab handles installed on Chiltern Railways. The result: armrest lead time fell from ~4 months to one week (≈94% reduction), grab handles were made in three weeks versus ~2.5 months and avoided up to £15,000 in tooling, and per‑part cost savings of up to 50% are achievable. Stratasys’ solution also achieved material certification to EN45545‑2, enabling the first in‑service 3D‑printed parts on UK passenger trains and a repeatable, customizable process for future deployments.

Angel Trains

James Brown

Data and Performance Engineer