Case Study: Great Western Railway achieves rapid electrification and lightweight, fire‑safe components with Stratasys 3D printing

Great Western Railway - Customer Case Study

Great Western Railway (GWR) needed to convert aging D78 stock into battery‑electric Class 230 trains to decarbonize non‑electrified routes, but faced tight schedules, limited under‑floor space, and strict railway fire‑safety and temperature requirements. To address hard‑to‑manufacture components and speed delivery, GWR partnered with Stratasys, using industrial 3D printing materials and systems including ULTEM™ 9085 resin, F900/FDM printing, and Kimya PC‑FR.

Stratasys engineers produced ULTEM™ shoe‑gear covers, a replacement driver dashboard printed on an F900, Kimya PC‑FR bezels, and polymer vents that met EN45545‑2 fire standards and performance from −54 °C to 149 °C; the dashboard arrived within a week and was 57% lighter (3.5 kg vs. 8.1 kg) than the original casting. By delivering compliant, quickly produced, lighter parts, Stratasys helped GWR meet its fast‑charge train schedule (10‑minute station charging) and accelerate fleet electrification with lower cost and improved sustainability.

Great Western Railway

Julian Fletcher

Technical Development Manager