BMW Surpasses One Million 3D Printed Automotive Components

IMTS

Share this Article

BMW Group has been using 3D printing for more than 25 years, and in the last decade has produced a million parts using the technology. This year alone, the company expects that it will 3D print more than 200,000 components, a 42 percent increase over last year. And BMW Group is just getting started. The company is aggressively pursuing additive manufacturing, intent on staying ahead in an automotive industry that is rapidly embracing the technology.

“The use of components made by additive manufacturing in series production of vehicles is increasing particularly strongly at the moment,” said Dr. Jens Ertel, Director of the BMW Group Additive Manufacturing Center. “We are following the development and application of advanced these manufacturing methods very closely indeed, partly through longstanding cooperations with leading manufacturers in the field. At the same time, we are engaging in targeted technology scouting and evaluating innovative production systems.”

BMW Group’s millionth 3D printed component came recently in the form of a 3D printed window guide rail for the BMW i8 Roadster. It took only five days to develop and was quickly integrated into series production. The guide rail, which is located in the door of the Roadster, allows the window to operate smoothly. It was manufactured using HP’s Multi Jet Fusion technology, which is now being used in the series production of automobiles for the first time. The technology is capable of producing up to 100 window guide rails in 24 hours. Additionally, BMW uses EOS Selective Laser Sintering and various other technologies for metal and polymers.

The window guide rail isn’t the only 3D printed component in the BMW i8 Roadster – it wasn’t even the first, actually. The first was the fixture for the soft top attachment, which was 3D printed from aluminum alloy. It is both lighter and stiffer than the traditional injection molded plastic component used in its place. This year, the component won an Altair Enlighten Award in the Modules category.

BMW Group began using both plastic and metal back in 2010 for the production of a smaller series of components such as the water pump pulley for DTM vehicles. In 2012, the company began using laser sintering for several components for the Rolls-Royce Phantom. While many automotive companies are using 3D printing in their manufacturing processes, a lot of them are mainly using the technology for tooling purposes. BMW Group has been one of the pioneers in using 3D printing for actual functional car parts.

The company has big plans for 3D printing in the future. Recently it began offering several customization options for the BMW MINI, many of them 3D printed. Last year BMW Group began using 3D printing for the fiber optic guides in the Rolls-Royce Dawn; Rolls-Royce currently has 10 3D printed components in its product line.

It was just earlier this year that BMW Group built a new dedicated Additive Manufacturing Campus, which likely at least partially accounts for the drastic increase in 3D printed parts over the last year. The two 3D printed components in the BMW i8 Roadster were designed and produced at the Additive Manufacturing Center, among many others. BMW Group has long been a leader in 3D printing in the automotive industry, and it clearly intends to hold on to that designation.

 

Discuss this and other 3D printing topics at 3DPrintBoard.com or share your thoughts below.

[Source: Automobile Magazine]

 

Share this Article


Recent News

Liquid Metal 3D Printing Sector Emerges with Fluent Metal’s $5.5M Investment

3DPOD Episode 191: Amy Alexander, 3D Printing at the Mayo Clinic



Categories

3D Design

3D Printed Art

3D Printed Food

3D Printed Guns


You May Also Like

3DPOD Episode 190: Generative Design for 3D Printing with Novineer CEO Ali Tamijani

Ali Tamijani, a professor in the Department of Aerospace Engineering at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, has an extensive background in composites, tool pathing, and the development of functional 3D printed parts,...

Featured

3DPOD Episode 189: AMUG President Shannon VanDeren

Shannon VanDeren is a consultant in the 3D printing industry, focusing on implementation and integration for her company, Layered Manufacturing and Consulting. For nearly ten years, she has been involved...

3DPOD Episode 188: Clare Difazio of E3D – Growing the Industry, and Growing With the Industry

Clare DiFazio’s journey into the 3D printing industry was serendipitous, yet her involvement at critical moments has significantly influenced the sector. Her position as Head of Marketing & Product Strategy...

Featured

Printing Money Episode 15: 3D Printing Markets & Deals, with AM Research and AMPOWER

Printing Money returns with Episode 15! This month, NewCap Partners‘ Danny Piper is joined by Scott Dunham, Executive Vice President of Research at Additive Manufacturing (AM) Research, and Matthias Schmidt-Lehr,...