The factory is located in Oberschleissheim in the north of Munich. The plant will allow the company to continue to develop its expertise in industrial-scale 3D printing.
Udo Hänle, head of production integration and pilot plant, said: 'Our new additive manufacturing park will bring the BMW Group's 3D printing expertise in one place. This will allow us to test new technologies as early as possible and continue to play our pioneering role. '
Jens Ertel, head of the Additive Manufacturing Center of BMW Group and future campus director, added: 'Our new facility will become an important milestone for BMW Group's additive manufacturing. The team will evaluate new technologies and existing technologies for plastics and metal printing. And it develops into a series of mature. Our goal is to provide the best technology and process chain, whether it is a single component, small batch production or large-scale production.
In the BMW Group's production network, the new additive manufacturing park will train the latest technology in this field in exactly the same way as the pilot plant and make it available in the network. Most of the work done there will focus on prototype manufacturing. Manufacture of parts for series production and custom solutions. The Additive Manufacturing Park will also serve as an interdisciplinary training and project area, such as a development engineer. It is located in an existing building with an area of more than 6,000 square meters and can accommodate 80 employees and More than 30 metal and plastic industrial systems. It is planned to be put into use in early 2019.
The main potential for mass production of custom vehicle parts
Additive manufacturing is an integral part of the BMW Group production system and has great potential for volume production. Recently it has been used to produce components for the BMW i8 Roadster.
Jens Ertel: 'With the BMW i8 Roadster, BMW Group became the first car manufacturer to print thousands of metal parts production lines in 3D. The relevant parts are the fixtures in the soft top's wine back cover.'
The printed matter is made of aluminum alloy, lighter than ordinary injection molds, but more rigid. Its 'bionic' geometry inspired by the forms found in nature, optimized for 3D printing purposes.
Additive manufacturing is also becoming more and more important for custom components. For example, the new MINI Yours Customized program allows customers to design certain components themselves. For example, indicator inlays and dashboard trim strips can be 3D printed according to their exact specifications.
Distributed Manufacturing - Production Follow Market
The BMW Group anticipates that over time, it will be possible to produce parts directly where it is ultimately needed - this idea holds great potential.
Jens Ertel: 'The 3D printer currently running on our production network represents the first step towards the production of local components. We have used additives in Spartanburg (United States), Shenyang (China) and Rayong (Thailand). Manufactured to make prototype parts. Looking ahead, we can imagine integrating it more fully into the local production structure to allow small batch production, country-specific versions and customizable components - as long as it represents a profitable solution. '
This will make additive manufacturing a useful complement to existing production technologies.
Through BMW i Venture Capital
For the BMW Group, investment in start-ups is not only strategic but also commercial. In addition, they represent sustainable strategic value additions.
For example, in September 2016, BMW Venture Capital Group BMW Ventures (BMW i Ventures) invested in Carbon Corporation in Silicon Valley, whose DLS (Digital Light Synthesis) printing technology is the production of innovative products with high quality surface parts. Technology allows larger areas to be processed faster than traditional selective 3D printing. Carbon and the BMW Group have been partners since 2015.
Further investment in additive manufacturing was put into use in February 2017. This time Desktop Metal. Desktop Metal specializes in additive manufacturing of metal parts and has developed an efficient and innovative approach. It is now with the BMW Group. The additive manufacturing center works closely.
In June 2017, BMW Group invested in a company called Xometry, which works in the supply chain industry. Xometry is a web-based platform that can connect suppliers and manufacturers from different industries to each other. Pilot projects have been In a range of areas including spare parts manufacturing.
The cooperation with these innovative partners aims to accelerate the adoption of additive manufacturing technologies.
Digital production methods for automobile development and manufacturing
Because it can quickly produce high-quality parts of any geometric shape, additive manufacturing has been used in the BMW Group concept car since 1991. Parts use purely digital data, eliminating the need for traditional tools such as stamping tools and Injection Molding. Currently, this technology is most often used for small batch production of custom and often very complex components.