Assuming the regulatory framework can be established, digital warehousing and inventory reduction are the most likely impact 3D printing will have in the mining sector, according to Australia's national science agency, CSIRO.

It says this will be especially so at mine sites operating in remote locations or in areas where workspace is at a premium such as offshore or in environmentally sensitive areas.

Markforged APAC director Richard Elving agrees mining is on a transformative journey with a focus around sustainability to reduce emissions, and autonomy, to reduce high cost and that 3D printing will be part of this.

"The mining supply chain is being reimagined by leveraging technology like additive manufacturing, where parts are no longer required to be flown across the world but local machines can make the parts on-demand, anywhere, anytime," he told Australia's Mining Monthly.

"Many still believe that 3D printers are just for making toys or ‘fidget spinners'. At Markforged we work with companies on some of the most demanding applications in the world, from Aerospace and NASA, to Automotive and Tesla, and the mining industry is embracing the know-how and technology from these industries, the remoteness and high cost of operations lends itself to 3D printing parts onsite naturally."

Accenture also believes 3D printing is likely to have a notable effect on the mining industry, especially for businesses in the industry's supply chain.

It says 3D printing's most significant asset for the sector is its ability to reduce the costly downtime resulting from part or equipment failure.

3D printing has the potential to revolutionizse the mining parts industry, increasing the opportunity to tailor parts as required in hours, not weeks.

Accenture's recently opened innovation hub in Perth has been designed to host sessions that go from developing an idea to building a prototype and planning how to deploy the full solution.

It includes a Liquid Studio, where clients can rapidly develop prototypes; a design studio from Fjord, Accenture Interactive's design and innovation consultancy; and a MakerLab space for 3D printing.

Accenture resources sector leader in Australia and New Zealand Ann Burns said the WA energy and mining sectors could become world leaders in digitalisation.

"Crucial to this is a focus on what we refer to as ‘triple zero': ideas, design and technologies that help achieve zero harm to workers and machines, zero loss across the value chain, and zero waste for sustainability," she said

CSIRO team leader of surfaces and metallic composites Daniel East said in a future where 3D printing could reliably produce parts on demand, raw materials used in the 3D printing of parts would be supplied to the mine site rather than the finished parts themselves.

"These raw materials include metallic powders and wires, polymer filaments and resins or ceramic powders depending on the end use of the part to be manufactured," he said.

"The part designs will be transferred digitally, and the product made at the point of use.

For the foreseeable future, 3D printing will produce single objects not assemblies of objects made from different materials. 

"This means that if you need to replace a single part such as an impeller or gear, then 3D printing can build you a replacement part," East said.

"However, if you need to replace a motor or a sensor, something that is a complex mix of components and materials that can't be manufactured using 3D printing, they will need to be sourced in the same way that they are now.

"The best you could do would be to print out all the parts required and assemble them on site, noting that many components of an assembled product may not be manufacturable using 3D printing.

"Having the people with the skills and equipment to perform this type of manufacturing onsite may not be technically or financially feasible because of the complex design of many assembled parts."

East said the remoteness of Australian mines made them suitable candidates for greater adoption of 3D printing.

"Instead of having to transport parts to a remote location, the parts can be made at point of use when required," he said.

"Mine sites with suitable 3D printing facilities can produce any part on demand.

"The typical time to make a metal part via 3D printing can be 24-48 hours, far quicker than the time taken to transport a single part from a manufacturer in China, Europe or the US to a remote mine site in Australia.

"It should be noted that the material inputs for 3D printing would need to be transported to the same remote locations and the appropriate infrastructure would need to be established for the storage of such raw materials.

"Appropriate service contracts would need to be established with the suppliers of 3D printers, as service personnel are more likely to be in capital cities such as Perth."

East believes 3D printing can provide a virtual warehouse of parts, where parts are produced on demand at or close to the point of use, using the same designs used to produce them via conventional manufacturing processes.

Inventory levels will be reduced, and less storage space for spare parts will be required.

Better parts might be made too.

"Plant can be redesigned to take advantage of the design freedom that 3D printing offers," East said.

"Parts such as mixers, impellers, hydraulic manifolds, heat exchangers can be redesigned to increase their efficiency due to the complex geometries that can be manufactured via 3D printing.

"Assemblies that have many parts can be consolidated into a single part. This reduces the number of joins that may be the source of failure.

"Part consolidation can increase the tolerances of the part, as each sub section has its own tolerance that can add up over a large assembly.

"Geometry simplification and part consolidation can be used in tandem to reduce the weight of a part, making it more efficient, easier to maintain and easier to handle within a factory environment.

"The use of node assemblies for frames, and scaffolds can create a simpler operation. When multiple pieces of framework come together at a single point, complex cuts and welds are needed at join. This is putting defects at the point of maximum stress.

"3D printing can be used to print a node where the join is to take place. By printing a node it forms a single part at the position where the individual elements meet, the joins can then be done away from this position creating an easier weld to perform where access is easier and stress on the join is lower."

Elving said a digital inventory storage enabled the on-demand manufacture of spare parts for the mining industry.

"This, among other things, saves warehouse storage and transportation costs, while reducing emissions and labour costs," he said.

"What would be the impact on having a custom part in your hand within 24 hours made from a digital library, any shape and any metal, with little to no labour involved?

"Mining companies will be less reliant on OEMs [original equipment manufacturers] that may be operating from the other side of the world and take weeks or months to deliver expensive parts."