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BMW Group Plant Munich implements an innovative bionic gripper for entire floor assemblies, revolutionizing production with over 400,000 parts globally crafted through 3D printing.
With over three decades of expertise, BMW Group stands as a trailblazer in additive manufacturing, commonly referred to as 3D printing. Since as early as 1991, 3D printers have been employed to fabricate individual parts and components for vehicles, initially for prototypes and race cars, then extending to production models. Presently, BMW Group utilizes various 3D printing techniques to produce a myriad of tools and aids for its production system, ranging from customized orthoses for staff to teaching aids and weight-efficient robot grippers for tasks like CFRP roofs and complete floor assemblies.
At the 'Additive Manufacturing Campus' situated in Oberschleibheim, serving as BMW Group's primary center for production, research, and training in 3D printing, more than 300,000 parts were fabricated in 2023. Moreover, each year, over 100,000 printed components are generated across all plants within the global production network, spanning from Spartanburg and German facilities to locations in Asia.
Jens Ertel, Head of BMW Additive Manufacturing, highlights the myriad advantages accompanying the increased integration of additive manufacturing in the BMW Group production system. "For instance," he elaborates, "we can swiftly, economically, and flexibly manufacture our own production aids and handling robots, tailoring them to specific requirements as needed, while also optimizing their weight. Reduced weight enables higher production line speeds, shorter cycle times, and decreased expenses. Furthermore, in the long run, employing smaller robots can lower both CO2 emissions and costs."
At BMW Group Plant Landshut, additive manufacturing techniques have been integral to daily operations for an extended period. Among these practices, the production of aluminium cylinder head molds has been a longstanding application. These molds are crafted through a three-dimensional printing process utilizing sand casting. This method involves the successive deposition of sand layers, bonded together with binders. It enables the fabrication of intricate mold structures capable of accommodating the casting of liquefied aluminium.
For several years, the Lightweight Construction and Technology Centre of BMW Group in Landshut has integrated a sizable gripper element, produced through 3D printing. Weighing approximately 120 kilograms, this gripper, crafted within just 22 hours, serves on a press for manufacturing CFRP roofs for BMW M GmbH models.
During operation, the gripper swiftly rotates 180 degrees to extract finished roofs after loading the CFRP raw material into the press. Compared to traditional counterparts, the 3D-printed version is about 20 percent lighter, enhancing robot longevity, reducing system wear, and extending maintenance intervals. Additionally, the dual-functionality of the gripper streamlines operations, reducing cycle times.
An innovative aspect of the robot gripper lies in the utilization of two distinct 3D printing processes. While selective laser sintering (SLS) crafts the vacuum grippers and clamps for lifting CFRP raw material, large-scale printing (LSP) manufactures the substantial roof shell and supporting structure. LSP offers economic and sustainable production of large components, employing injection molding granules and recycled plastics, with potential use of recycled CFRP residual materials. This approach significantly reduces CO2 emissions by roughly 60% compared to primary raw material usage during gripper production.
In 2023, a novel, even more lightweight iteration of gripper technology was unveiled. This advancement stemmed from a meticulous topological analysis and optimization of the prior gripper design, culminating in the creation of the bionic robot gripper. This innovation integrates the roof shell crafted by the LSP printer with SLS vacuum components and a bionically enhanced bearing structure. Utilizing a mould with printed cores in sand casting facilitates the production of the intricate aluminium structure.
The resultant gripper is an additional 25 percent lighter than its precursor, streamlining the manufacturing process for CFRP roofs of BMW M3 vehicles. Formerly requiring three robots, the updated process now necessitates only one robot. Presently, individually manufactured double grippers, produced via 3D printing within BMW Group, are employed for all CFRP roofs at BMW Group Plant Landshut.
New 3D-printed gripper also used in chassis construction in operation
The BMW Group extends the use of 3D-printed grippers to chassis construction, such as employing LSP-printed grippers for handling doors at BMW Group Plant Regensburg.
Florian Riebel, Head of Door and Flap Production in Regensburg, explains, "By optimizing the bearing structure with 3D-printing, we've enhanced gripper rigidity for door handling in Regensburg while reducing weight. This allows for cost-saving measures like utilizing robots with lower load capacities in future projects."
Taking a pioneering step, BMW Group Plant Munich introduces bionic robot grippers for handling entire floor assemblies, exemplified by its use in transporting BMW i4 floor assemblies. Utilizing 3D printing for sand casting molds filled with liquid aluminum, the gripper's bearer is meticulously optimized for weight and load capacity, weighing a mere 110 kilograms with additional elements, marking a 30 percent reduction compared to the previous model.
This manufacturing method, coupled with aluminum sand casting, facilitates the representation of intricate load-optimized structures, resulting in significant weight reduction. Consequently, the potential for implementing smaller, lighter heavy-duty lifting robots emerges, promising reduced energy consumption and subsequent CO2 emissions.
Source: autocarpro
