10,000 additively-manufactured parts integrated into series
production of Rolls-Royce Phantom to date
New technologies will shorten production times
HP Multi-Jet Fusion technology used for the first time in car manufacturing
Munich.
With more than 10,000 additively-manufactured parts built into
the Rolls-Royce Phantom, the BMW Group has been using components
from 3D printers in series production since 2012. The company will
continue to expand this pioneering role in the future. The
Additive Manufacturing Centre at the company’s Research and Innovation
Centre (FIZ) has also been using these forming processes to produce
parts for the new Rolls-Royce Dawn since the start of the year.
The BMW Group is steadily pursuing the evolution and use of
advanced additive-manufacturing methods. Planar 3D printing
technologies will enable much faster production times and more
economical production in the future.
Udo Hänle, head of Production Strategy, Technical Integration:
“Additive technologies will be one of the main production
methods of the future for the BMW Group – with promising potential.
The integration of additively-manufactured components into
Rolls-Royce series production is another important milestone for us
on the road to using this method on a large-scale. By utilising new
technologies, we will be able to shorten production times
further in the future and increasingly exploit the potential of
tool-less manufacturing methods.”
Successful use in series production at Rolls-Royce Motor Cars
Plastic holders for hazard-warning lights, centre lock buttons,
electronic parking brakes and sockets for the Rolls-Royce Phantom have
been made in this way since the start of production in 2012. Mounting
brackets for fibre-optic cables used in the Rolls-Royce Dawn have also
been produced by 3D printers since the start of the year, and the
company will install several thousand of these clips throughout the
model lifecycle. Rolls-Royce Motor Cars is a pioneer in the use of the
most innovative production technologies of the future.
The advantages of additive manufacturing are visible early on,
especially for components with a complicated design. Production times
are significantly shorter than for conventional production methods,
while still meeting the same high quality standards.
Planar processes enable shorter production times
The BMW Group is constantly working to refine additive manufacturing
processes for series production. The new, planar printing technologies
enable considerably faster production times than conventional
point-to-point 3D printing methods. Beamers or infrared sources are
used to expose the full surface, rather than point-to-point,
high-priced light sources, such CO2 or UV lasers.
Jens Ertel, head of the BMW Group’s Additive Manufacturing
Centre: “Planar technologies are central to the use of
additive processes in series production. The most recent example can
be found in the preliminary trials of the HP Multi Jet Fusion
technology. The process will initially be used in
prototyping, but we plan to extend it into series production over the
long term.” The process utilises print heads and liquid agents, like a
conventional inkjet printer.
At the start of the process, a thin layer of base powder material is
applied. The print head then sprays fusing and detailing agents onto
the powder bed. What is unusual is that, at virtually the same time,
the respective layer of the component is fused using infrared
radiation. This speeds up production time and increases flexibility.
Late last year, a breakthrough was achieved in the field of
planar 3D printing process with the introduction of so-called CLIP
technology (Continuous Liquid Interface Production). This
method shortens production times considerably, since it works with
planar exposure from a beamer. The BMW Group used the process
for the first time to produce individualised side indicators for the
“DriveNow” car-sharing fleet. In a social media campaign, German
customers voted on names for a total of 100 MINIs in the fleet. CLIP
technology was then used to integrate these in the indicator body of
the vehicles being tested on the roads in Germany.
Years of experience – a wide range of applications
The BMW Group has successfully used 3D printing technologies for more
than 25 years. Many areas already enjoy the benefits of
additively-manufactured components. Classic examples of additive
manufacturing are areas where customised and, in some cases, highly
complex components are required in small quantities – mainly in
pre-development, vehicle validation and testing or for concept and
show cars, but also small series production. In this way, the company
is constantly working to harness new additive methods for vehicles
from prototypes to classic cars. However, the methods are also
utilised in tool-making and manufacturing equipment. The BMW Group
celebrated the first successful use of this technology in small-series
production in 2010, with the additively-manufactured water pump wheel
still fitted in DTM vehicles to this day.
The Additive Manufacturing Centre team at the FIZ handles nearly
25,000 prototype orders annually and delivers more than 100,000
components per year to customers within the BMW Group. The spectrum
ranges from small plastic holders to design samples to metal chassis
components for functional testing. Depending on the process used and
size of the parts, components are often available within just a few days.