BMW Group has officially opened its new Additive Manufacturing Campus (AMC), which houses a raft of robotics and automation technologies.
The new centre brings together production of prototype and series parts under one roof, along with research into new 3D printing technologies, and associate training for the global rollout of toolless production. The campus, which came at an investment of €15m (£13.6m), will allow the BMW Group to develop its utilisation of additive manufacturing in the automotive industry.
Daniel Schäfer, senior vice president for production integration and pilot plant at BMW Group, said: “Our goal is to industrialise 3D printing methods more and more for automotive production, and to implement new automation concepts in the process chain. This will allow us to streamline component manufacturing for series production and speed up development.
“At the same time, we are collaborating with vehicle development, component production, purchasing and the supplier network, as well as various other areas of the company to systematically integrate the technology and utilise it effectively .”
Last year, BMW Group produced about 300,000 parts by additive manufacturing. The AMC currently employs up to 80 associates and operates about 50 industrial systems that work with metals and plastics. Another 50 systems are in operation at production sites around the world.
The pre-development unit of the AMC optimises new technologies and materials for comprehensive use across the company. The main focus is on automating process chains that have previously required large amounts of manual work, to make 3D printing more economical and viable for use on an industrial scale over the longer term.
To aid development of 3D printing processes for use on an industrial scale, BMW Group has undertaken several research projects, including the Industrialisation and Digitisation of Additive Manufacturing for Automotive Series Production (IDAM) project. With IDAM, BMW Group and its 12 project partners are researching methods for the integration of additive manufacturing into series production environments within the automotive industry.
At the AMC, a production line is being set up that replicates the entire process chain, from the preparation of digital production through to manufacture and reworking of components. The IDAM team are now preparing it for the specific requirements of series, individual and spare-part production. Output is expected to total at least 50,000 series components a year, with over 10,000 individual and spare parts.
The AMC will also make a contribution to series production of plastic parts. In the Integrated Production Line Applications for Polymer-based AM Technologies (POLYLINE) project, the focus is on aspects such as digitally linking process steps, and the development of a consistent quality assurance methodology for the entire process chain.
Furthermore, the AMC will enable the project’s consortium of 15 partners to develop and test a future-proof, fully linked, automated production line for plastic components. Findings from the project are expected to help reduce manufacturing costs by as much as 50%, making a key contribution to series production. In addition, integrated quality assurance methods will increase the stability of technologies and make manufacturing more sustainable.
As well as manufacturing components, the team at the AMC provides personal consultations and training courses for associates across the company.
