Preventive Maintenance with Additive Manufacturing as Repair Option for Conventional Manufacturing spare parts. Manutenzione Preventiva con Produzione Additiva per riparazione ricambi realizzati con tecniche di Produzione Convenzionali

In the current industrial environment, characterized by increasing dynamism and frequent fluctuations in demand, the management of spare parts has become a strategic component of production planning. An efficient spare parts management system not only ensures the timely availability of critical components, but also reduces the risk of machine downtime, thus safeguarding operational continuity and overall system reliability. In this context, Additive Manufacturing (AM), also known as rapid prototyping or 3D printing, has been identified as a strategic alternative to the procurement of spare parts produced through Conventional Manufacturing (CM) by enabling a reduction in inventory costs while enhancing the responsiveness of maintenance systems. The objective of this thesis is to compare various preventive maintenance policies discussed in the literature with innovative models that integrate the repair of failed components through LENS (Laser Engineered Net Shaping) technology rather than their direct replacement with newly manufactured parts. The developed models include both deterministic and stochastic lead time scenarios, in order to assess the impact of supply uncertainty on overall maintenance costs and system performance. The results show that, under certain conditions, repairing a component instead of replacing it can represent a cost-effective and robust alternative, highlighting the potential of AM as a lever for more flexible and resilient maintenance policies offering valuable insights for industrial decision-making in complex and variable operational contexts.