BMW Group has produced more than one million components for its production models using additive manufacturing. Some 200,000 components are expected to be printed this year, up 42% from last year.
Additive manufacturing is already widely used to produce prototype components. Thanks to 3D printers, prototypes can be realised much faster, allowing earlier analysis of these models and speeding up the development process. However, more and more parties are also using additive manufacturing to realise finished products, including BMW.
HP Multi Jet Fusion
The components are produced using HP Multi Jet Fusion, a 3D printing technology developed by US multinational HP. This technology was embraced by BMW immediately after its launch in May 2016, with the carmaker reporting that it would eventually be used to print parts in series and customised components.
The technology has been incorporated into several of HP's 3D printers aimed at different applications:
- The HP Jet Fusion 500/300 series is designed to produce prototypes and components in short runs of up to 129 pieces
- HP Jet Fusion 3D 4200 targets production runs of 130 to 599 units
- The HP Jet Fusion 3D 4210 is designed for production in print runs of 600 to 1,000 units
Incorporated into i8 Roadster
An example of a car model in which BMW uses 3D printed components is the i8 Roadster. For example, the vehicle uses a 3D printed window guide rail, which ensures that the vehicle's windows open and close smoothly. BMW reports that the rail was developed in five days at the BMW Group Additive Manufacturing Centre. The component ensures that the i8's windows open and close smoothly. The millionth 3D-printed component used in a production vehicle is such a guide rail and was mounted on a vehicle in Leipzig, Germany.
A bracket for the vehicle's soft-top is also being produced using additive manufacturing. This bracket is made of an aluminium alloy. Although the 3D-printed component weighs less than the identical injection-moulded part, the printed part is significantly stiffer, according to BMW. Parts from other BMW Group vehicles are also being printed, including parts from the Rolls-Royce Phantom and Rolls-Royce Dawn. In total, these vehicles contain 10 different 3D-printed components.
Personalised components
Additive manufacturing also makes it possible to develop personalised components for customers. For example, BMW points to the MINI Yours Customised initiative, where customers can create their own design for selected components. Examples include trim strips for the dashboard for their vehicle or inlays for the turn signals. Customers create their own design via an online website, after which the components are custom printed according to the customer's specifications.
BMW expects additive manufacturing to play a key role in its production process in the future. "The use of components produced with additive manufacturing in series production of vehicles is currently increasing significantly. We are closely following the development and application of this production method, partly through long-term collaborations with leading manufacturers in the field. At the same time, we actively scout and evaluate innovative production systems," says Dr Jens Ertel, director of the BMW Group Additive Manufacturing Centre.
Author: Wouter Hoeffnagel
Source: BMW Group (pictured)
Source: HP
