Gears from the 3D printer

The Additive Manufacturing Campus: Vehicle parts directly from the printer.

25. June 2020
ca. 3 minutes

The BMW Group opened its Additive Manufacturing Campus for business. The new facility will be the central hub for production, research and training in 3D printing. The BMW Group is a leader in the field of industrial-scale 3D printing, and already produced and fitted over 300,000 “printed” components last year.

The BMW Group officially opened the new Additive Manufacturing Campus for business in Oberschleissheim, just outside Munich. The new facility, which cost around €15 million to build, will bring together production of prototype and series parts, research into 3D printing technologies, and associate training in toolless manufacturing. The centre of excellence currently has around 80 associates. It operates around 50 industrial systems for processing metal and plastics, with over 50 more running at other production sites around the world.

Parts from the 3D printer
BMW employee at a 3D printer

The BMW Group has been using 3D printing – or additive manufacturing – for almost 30 years. In 1991, the technology was used to make prototype parts for concept cars. Later, small series of parts were produced for DTM race cars, the Rolls-Royce Phantom, the BMW i8 Roadster and the MINI, among others. The goal now is to make the manufacture of components for series production more efficient and speed up development processes. Last year alone, the BMW Group “printed” over  300,000 parts.

Campus: Cooperations offer access to new technologies.
 
 So, what makes this campus so special? Long-standing partnerships with universities and leading manufacturers in the 3D printing business, and technology scouting for industry newcomers provide access to the latest technologies.  In addition, the BMW Group’s venture capital arm, BMW i Ventures, has been a key contributor to finding the right partners in the start-up scene.

BMW employees check 3D printing results
BMW employee with component

Speaking at the opening ceremony, BMW AG Board Member Milan Nedeljković said: “Additive manufacturing is already an integral part of our worldwide production system today, and an established part of our digitalisation strategy. In the future, new technologies of this kind will make production even faster and allow us to benefit even more fully from the potential of toolless manufacturing.”

Jens Ertel, Director of the Additive Manufacturing Campus: “We are working hard to mature additive manufacturing fully and benefit from it as far as possible throughout the product life-cycle, from the first vehicle concept through to production, aftersales and the technology’s use in classic vehicles.”

More Topics.

Batterie Labor

How the battery cell of the future is taking shape.

The BMW Group has been producing high-voltage batteries for our fully-electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids for a long time. We have also been focusing a great deal on battery cells for over 10 years, to ensure we have the same level of knowledge as established cell manufacturers. This article explains the difference between a battery cell and a high-voltage battery, and outlines the six steps that go into building battery cell prototypes at our new Battery Cell Competence Centre. We have pooled all our knowledge and know-how in this area at this one location. 

A meadow with trees, in the background a wind turbine

BMW Group reaches important milestone in climate protection in 2020.

A pioneer in climate protection, the BMW Group continues to pursue its ambitious goal to lower CO2 emissions. Efforts cover the entire value chain to achieve effective climate protection by combining the right products with the right manufacturing. Renewable energy in plants coupled with innovative charging concepts for vehicles are consistently reducing the carbon footprint of the company and its products.

An automated BMW test driving vehicle in a lab

SENSORY MATTERS: WITH THE RIGHT TECHNOLOGY, AUTOMATED DRIVING MAKES ROAD TRAFFIC SAFER FOR EVERYONE.

The safety of our customers is always our number one priority. And we are in no doubt that, with the right technology, automated driving can make the roads safer for everyone. To this end, sensors are of fundamental importance as the vehicle’s eyes and ears.