How does AM succeed in series production in the automotive industry?

"Additive manufacturing is a young discipline in the automotive industry. There are no established supply chains here yet. This makes it all the more important for everyone involved in the product development and production process to discuss the requirements and possibilities so that the series use of AM can be further advanced. The forum enables an open discussion in order to recognize which adjustments still need to be made," say Frank Cremer, Direct Sales Manager 3D Printers at 3D Systems, and Maximilian Binder, Project Manager Additive Manufacturing at the BMW Group. Frank Cremer has been responsible for the content of the Mobility Forum for many years. Since this year, Maximilian Binder has been contributing the perspective of the automotive manufacturers in particular. Both are members of the Rapid.Tech 3D Advisory Board.

Keynote from BMW on the use of AM for cast components

The importance of AM for the automotive industry is already clear in the keynote speech that opens the final day of the 20th Rapid.Tech 3D. Jochen Wendling from the BMW plant in Landshut will report on the large-scale production of additively manufactured inorganic sand cores for casting cylinder heads. Because the classic core production process involves a high investment in geometry-specific tools, among other things, BMW has developed and implemented an automated process together with partners. Greater design freedom and optimized production are the main effects achieved.

Mercedes-Benz uses AM for lighting applications

Pascal Boley, PhD student in research and development at the Swabian car manufacturer, explains how Mercedes-Benz uses additively manufactured optical components for the development of automotive lighting applications. He shows how the use of free-form optics allows increasingly complex components around the vehicle to be specifically highlighted by light. Mercedes-Benz is testing the DLD process (Digital Light Processing) for the production of functional prototypes. In comparison to known approaches with stereolithography (SLA) or poly-jet modeling (PJM), DLD has not yet been researched much.

Schaeffler highlights the added value of additive multi-material manufacturing

Carsten Merklein, Head of the Advanced Manufacturing Technologies department, and Florian Dörrfuß, Head of Additive Manufacturing at Schaeffler Sondermaschinenbau, explain why additive multi-material manufacturing offers technical and economic added value for Schaeffler as a user and as a machine manufacturer. With the development of a system for multi-material laser powder bed fusion, the mechanical engineering company offers the Motion Technology Company the first industrial solution for simultaneous multi-material printing. Both speakers will present the concept for a holistic multi-material AM production system and its integration into Schaeffler's overall strategy.

Audi reports on AM in prototyping and toolmaking

In his presentation, Martin Bock, overall project manager for the metal 3D printing center at the Bavarian car manufacturer, will provide information on the latest developments in prototyping and tool production at Audi. He will shed light on the current situation of AM in the automotive sector and provide insights into metal and plastic 3D printing.

Honda at Rapid.Tech 3D for the first time

Japanese car manufacturer Honda will be taking part in the Rapid.Tech 3D mobility forum for the first time. Kotaro Muraoka, Head of AM Production Technology, will provide insights into where Honda stands with the use of additive technologies in the production process. The car manufacturer is currently promoting the research and development of additive manufacturing as an important core technology.

Creating a flexible robot vehicle with AM

Richard Kordaß, Project Manager Innovations at EDAG, Syam Unnikrishnan, Business Development Manager at Constellium, and Thomas Töppel, Deputy Head of the LPBF department at Fraunhofer IWU, demonstrate how AM helps to quickly adapt a multifunctional robotic vehicle to different transportation tasks. Using the example of the wheel carrier component of the vehicle known as the EDAG CityBot, they will present a process chain for automated, rapid component development and selection of the appropriate manufacturing process and material. Laser Powder Bed Fusion (LPBF) in combination with Constellium Aheadd CP1, an aluminum alloy specially developed for the LPBF process, has proven to be economically and technologically advantageous.

The Brose path to additive series production

The automotive supplier Brose uses 3D printing to produce functional prototypes and devices for production on the one hand and to manufacture small series and niche products economically on the other.

Dr. Jan Sander and Christian Kleylein, experts in additive technology at Brose, give an insight into the path to additive series production in a tandem presentation. The first spare part series was produced in 2019. The breakthrough in additive series production followed a year later with the production of a housing for the electric air conditioning compressor. A beacon in the industry is the production of a plug, a standard component in the vehicle seat sector, with 3.6 million units produced over its lifetime.

Brose also uses AM for other mobility solutions such as e-bikes. A concept e-bike with a 3D-printed frame will be on display at Rapid.Tech 3D.

Discussion: How realistic is spare parts production at the touch of a button?

At the end of the forum, speakers and participants will discuss the progress and challenges of using AM in the industry. The focus will be on answers to the question: How realistic is spare parts production at the touch of a button?

In addition to the Mobility Forum, other forums at the Rapid.Tech 3D Congress will offer insights into the latest AM developments and applications. On the first day of the event (14 May 2024), the AM4industry format organized by the VDMA Additive Manufacturing Working Group will be held for the first time, as well as the established Aerospace Forum. The AM Science Forum will also start on this day and continue on the second day (May 15, 2024). The Chemical and Process Engineering Forum - presented by Dechema, the Software, AI & Design Forum and the Innovations in AM Forum will also take place on the second day. This forum will also continue on the following day (May 16, 2024). The Mobility and AM Science by Fraunhofer forums will also take place on this final day.