Additive manufacturing (AM) is already firmly embedded throughout the
BMW Group, and its Additive Manufacturing Campus (AMC) — under the new leadership of Timo Göbel (pictured) — will see additive manufacturing (AM) further integrated across all phases of the vehicle life cycle, ‘with open-material and highly automated systems and a clear focus on quality’.
Mr Göbel said: “AM is now fully integrated across all phases of the product life cycle. 3-D printed components are used from early development and prototype production all the way to series production and to support the global production network. In prototype construction, additive methods continue to evolve steadily, and today we can meet functional requirements that would not have been feasible just a few years ago.
“Within the production system, AM is present in every BMW Group plant worldwide, supporting our colleagues across the production network, enabling them to quickly and easily manufacture additive components that optimise work steps and production processes. This area is currently experiencing particularly dynamic growth, and we are continuing our investment strategy in this key technology.”
Major pre-development projectsHe went on to says that the major pre-development projects IDAM (Industrialisation and Digitalisation of AM, a collaborative initiative aimed at integrating metal 3-D printing into automotive series production) and POLYLINE (another collaborative initiative relating to plastic parts) were important enablers for scaling AM applications.
“In these projects, the BMW Group helped shape the foundations for scaling AM in the automotive sector by defining requirements, developing solutions, and piloting system-integrated structures. In the polymer segment, we rely wherever possible on fully series-ready systems or procure equipment custom-designed to our specific requirements.
“In the metals segment, we have already integrated central subprocesses from the IDAM project into our campus infrastructure. The next step is the introduction of an entirely new generation of metal 3-D printers, followed by the integration of new manufacturing technologies such as wire arc AM (WAAM) into the BMW Group production network.”
As for the future, he said: “In the short term, we are focusing on integrating the new generations of equipment. Technologically, we are in the process of fully transferring WAAM into series production; vehicle testing has been underway since 2025, and from 2027 onward we will begin series production of the first components.”