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The BMW Group officially opened its new Additive Manufacturing Campus today. For the first time, the new campus combines the production of prototype and series components, research on new 3D printing technologies and the qualification of employees worldwide for the use of tool-free processes under one roof. The company is thus further expanding its technological leadership in the use of additive manufacturing processes in the automotive industry. The BMW Group has invested 15 million euros in the new location. Milan Nedeljković, Member of the Board of Management of BMW AG, Production, said at the opening: “Additive manufacturing is already an integral part of our global production system and firmly anchored in our digitization strategy. In the future, new technologies such as these can further shorten production times and further exploit the potential of tool-free manufacturing methods."
3D printing is supposed to be easier
Daniel Schäfer, Head of Production Integration and Pilot Plant at the BMW Group, adds: “Our goal is to increasingly industrialize 3D printing processes for automotive production and to implement new automation concepts in the process chain. This makes the production of components for mass production of automobiles more economical and we help to accelerate development processes. At the same time, we work with various areas within the company, such as vehicle development and component manufacturing, as well as the purchasing and supplier network. This enables us to systematically integrate the technology and use it effectively
Progress through in-house competence and cooperation
Jens Ertel, head of the Additive Manufacturing Campus: “Over the past 30 years, we have built up extensive expertise at the BMW Group. We will expand this further on campus. We have the latest machines and technologies. In addition, we develop and design components that are faster to manufacture, more flexible in shape and more functional than conventional production processes."Ertel continues:"We work intensively to mature additive manufacturing and to generate maximum benefit over the entire product life cycle - from the concept idea of a vehicle and production to the aftersales area and use in classic vehicles.“Last year, the BMW Group manufactured around 300.000 parts additively. Up to 80 employees currently work in the competence center and around 50 industrial metal and plastic plants are already in operation. In addition, more than 50 systems are in use at other production sites worldwide.
Cooperation with leading manufacturers
Long-term partnerships with leading manufacturers in the industry and universities as well as technology scouting for newcomers to the industry enable access to the latest technologies. BMW i Ventures - the venture unit of the BMW Group - already invested in Silicon Valley-based Carbon in 2016. With DLS technology (Digital Light Synthesis), Carbon achieved a breakthrough in the area-based processes. With the help of a flat beam projector, components can be built much faster with this manufacturing technology. The BMW Group made another investment in 2017: The start-up Desktop Metal specializes in the additive manufacturing of metal parts and develops innovative and highly productive manufacturing processes. There is also close cooperation here. In the same year, BMW i Ventures invested in the US startup Xometry, the world's leading platform for on-demand manufacturing. With a large network of manufacturing companies, for example in the area of 3D printing, Xometry offers quick access to components.
The latest investment, the German startup ELISE, enables engineers to create a component DNA that includes all technical requirements such as loads, manufacturing restrictions, costs and possible optimization parameters. Based on this DNA and with the integration of established development tools, ELISE automatically generates optimal components. The aim of the BMW Group is to accelerate the use of the technology through cooperation with innovative partners and universities and to build up a suitable portfolio of manufacturing processes in the company.
Additive manufacturing in research and pre-development
In the pre-development area of the Additive Manufacturing Campus, new technologies and materials are optimized and prepared for widespread use throughout the company. The team is particularly concerned with the automation of process chains that previously required a great deal of manual work in order to make 3D printing processes more economical and to enable large-scale production in the long term. Research projects are of central importance in the industrialization of 3D printing processes. This also includes the joint projects "Industrialization and digitization of additive manufacturing for automotive series processes (IDAM for short)" and "Integrated line application of polymer-based AM technologies (POLYLINE for short)", which are funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research.
Project IDAM with twelve project partners
In the IDAM project, the BMW Group, together with twelve project partners, is laying an important cornerstone for the integration of additive manufacturing into the series production environment of the automotive industry. In the Additive Manufacturing Campus, a production line is set up that maps the entire process chain: from digital production preparation to the production of components and post-processing. The IDAM team prepares the production line for the specific requirements for the production of series, as well as individual and spare parts. The targeted quantities speak for the signal character of the joint project: In the future, the production line should be able to produce at least 50.000 series components per year and over 10.000 individual and spare parts in very high quality. The BMW Group is thus strengthening Germany's technological pioneering role.
In addition, the Additive Manufacturing Campus also significantly drives the series production of plastic components. As part of the POLYLINE project, the digital networking of process steps and a consistent methodology for quality assurance along the entire process are being developed. In a consortium of 15 project partners, a future-proof, fully networked and automated production line for the manufacture of plastic components is being developed and tested in the Additive Manufacturing Campus. With the knowledge gained, it should be possible in the future to reduce manufacturing costs by up to 50 percent. This plays an important role when used in series production. In addition, integrated quality assurance methods should increase the robustness of the technologies and make production more sustainable.
Company-wide qualification
In addition to the production of components, the campus team offers individual advice and training for employees in various company areas. "For a successful roll-out of the technologies, it is important to familiarize colleagues from the entire network with the advantages and functionalities of the processes. Because the use requires a new way of thinking and approach when designing components. The high degree of design freedom results in new designs and functions. There are now numerous components that can only be manufactured using additive processes“Explains Jens Ertel. 3D printing components are already manufactured at almost all of the company's production sites. The areas of application also range from prototype parts and production aids to country-specific parts for customers. It makes sense for the BMW Group to manufacture the parts where they are needed. Additive manufacturing processes thus complement existing production technologies.
Series production applications
The BMW Group already produced the first prototype parts in 1991 and used them in the construction of concept vehicles. In 2010, the company started using plastic and metal-based processes in small series. This includes the additively manufactured water pump wheel used in the DTM vehicles. Further series applications followed from 2012 with various components for the Rolls-Royce Phantom as well as the BMW i8 Roadster (2017) and the MINI John Cooper Works GP (2020). Four 3D-printed components are already integrated in the latter as standard.
Of course that had not happened yet!
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Additive manufacturing metal
Additive manufacturing non-metal
Interdisciplinary project and training area
Quality Assurance
Quality assurance and logistics
Virtual production planning
Advance development
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