3D printing is developing at a rapid pace. New materials and generative design, among other things, are opening up new possibilities for industrial production. For this reason, 15 companies and universities have joined forces in the "Line Integration Additive Manufacturing" research project to jointly develop the basic principles that are required for high-quality industrial production. By September 2022, new processes are to be developed for the automotive industry or mechanical engineering, for example. "With new standards, we are laying the foundation for a technological edge and thus enabling competitive advantages for many companies," explains Dr. Lukas Löber from Bosch, who is leading the research project. The researchers and developers have 13.6 million euros at their disposal for the duration of the project, with 6.9 million euros being funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF).

The research project covers topics along the entire process chain. Among other things, the additional possibilities for product design, the properties and further developments of the materials used and the individual steps in the manufacturing process and further processing are being investigated. The technology in focus is laser beam melting (also known as L-PBF-M). Laser beams are used to melt metal powder applied in layers with pinpoint accuracy and thus shape it. This process is not always reliably stable, which can lead to defects in the components. This challenge is to be solved with intensive process monitoring.

Another hurdle is that the printer builds the components on a platform, which then has to be separated again. "We need to bring this step onto an industrial basis," says Löber. This is also necessary for the mechanical or thermal processing steps. The materials used also need to be researched. "Metals cool down much faster with this additive manufacturing technology. This creates completely new properties in the material," explains the project manager. The developers want to develop uniform processes for all these issues and thus also new standards.

Another aim of the project participants is to raise awareness of additive manufacturing. The basic knowledge is not yet widespread, as the technology has only been in use for just under 20 years. As a result, only a few developers are considering additive manufacturing, even though it can be used to create interesting shapes and solutions that could never be achieved using conventional methods.

According to documents from Bosch / ag