BMW-led alliance successfully industrializes and digitizes additive manufacturing

According to foreign media reports, multinational automaker BMW Group (BMW) has announced the success of its Industrialization and Digitization of Additive Manufacturing (IDAM) project.

(Image credit: BMW Group)

Three years ago, a consortium of projects, funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) and led by the BMW Group, was established and includes a group of small and medium-sized enterprises, large companies and research institutes.The consortium's shared goal is to revolutionize the metal 3D printing technology used in the standard production process of automobiles.

The 12 members of the consortium demonstrated the successful implementation of the IDAM project at the BMW Group's additive manufacturing campus in Oberschleißheim, Munich, Germany.A digitally connected, fully automated 3D printing production line has been established at the park in preparation for the standardized production of automobiles.Another line is at GKN Powder Metallurgy in Bonn.

Through Laser Powder Bed Fusion (LPBF) 3D printing, 50,000 common parts can be cost-effectively produced annually, and more than 10,000 individual new parts can be manufactured.Where solid components need to be created at each level, the starting material (metal powder) is remelted layer by layer with a laser.This 3D printing process greatly increases production flexibility, as new design possibilities can be realized without the use of certain tools.

Starting with a concept outline in 2019, a fully automated driverless transport system (FTS) currently carries the 3D printer's mobile build room between modules on the IDAM production line.These machines are coordinated by a central control unit that integrates all production data from the various line modules to ensure maximum productivity and quality.

During the implementation of the project, the researchers developed innovative concepts for automating the generation of 3D printing build data.Now, fully automatic modules deliver the processed metal powder to the work area to prepare the material independently.Subsequent processing of manufactured parts takes place in specially designed work areas, which are also fully automated.Everything is based on ensuring the quality of parts.

During the laser melting process, the quality of the finished part is checked online by sensors, which include checking the melt pool discharge with a CMOS camera and a pyrometer.AI algorithms correlate collected data with actual part quality, identifying process deviations during production and part quality assessment.

The project was successfully implemented thanks to the expertise of all project partners.In the fields of mechanical and plant engineering, component design and metal 3D printing, this is the only way to digitize and automate.