A LinkedIn publish regarding BMW’s new Gen6 electrical engine on the IAA Mobility (Internationale Automobil-Ausstellung) present in Munich has made lots of people speculate if it was made with 3D printing. Some puzzled if, in actual fact, the engine was additive, whereas others assumed that it was made by means of 3D printing the core utilizing binder jetting with Voxeljet or ExOne. The very topology-optimized wanting Gen6 EV Structure actually turned a whole lot of heads. However, is it additive?
The Gen6 EV Structure guarantees 30% faster charging and 30% extra vary, with ranges of 900 kilometers on one cost attainable. Vitality density has been elevated by 20%. It’s each 400V and 800V appropriate. 400 volts is the predominant structure immediately in charging and autos. 800 volts might turn into the usual of the long run, nevertheless, because it might present for even quicker charging and maybe make batteries last more. Excessive-end automobiles just like the Lucid Air, Porsche Taycan, and different electrical sports activities automobiles are popping out with 800-volt architectures, that means that they may very well be the selection for all of the cool children.
To me, the 800V factor is wanting rather a lot just like the Turbo designations of outdated. It may very well be an excellent option to sign {that a} automobile is premium and sportier. In a advertising panorama the place everyone seems to be in search of that means amidst new powertrains and terminology, the 800V is an effective factor for BMW to have the ability to provide throughout the identical structure. Having a versatile structure moderately than opting to stick with one or the opposite might give the corporate extra alternative to unfold out the identical unit throughout extra automobiles and provide extra premium fashions inexpensively. The Gen6 can also be decrease weight whereas maximizing inside quantity and being simpler to service.
BMW’s electrical engine manufacturing. Picture courtesy of BMW.
The electrical motor itself doesn’t have a everlasting magnet, that means that it’s going to require fewer uncommon earth components, that are problematic when it comes to worth, ethics, and provide chain assurance. That in and of itself appears an excellent wager in a extra fractious world. We reached out to BMW to find out if the engine was 3D printed or if it used 3D printing. BMW’s Carolin Seidel was fast to get again to us. She works on the model’s Landshut plant, the place a minimum of 4 ExOne machines reside. BMW has been working with ExOne for over twenty years. She informed us that, “firms that we’re working with are ExOne, Loramendi, in cooperation with Voxeljet, and Laempe.” By creating an answer with skilled foundry provide companions equivalent to Loramendi and Laempe, and the binder jet startups, BMW has created a dependable manufacturing system for itself.
Almost about the engine nevertheless, “Within the case of the e-motor housing for the Gen6 we’re not utilizing 3D printed sand cores, however cores made with a traditional core taking pictures course of and inorganic binders. Nevertheless, we do use additive manufacturing for sand cores with a extra advanced geometry such because the water jacket core of the six- and four-cylinder head variants. We produce near 4,000 items per day in large-scale sequence manufacturing on 17 printers. Manufacturing takes place emission-free and with environmentally pleasant inorganic binder techniques.”
The brand new factor to notice right here is that the enormous Landshut facility with 3,700 staff has 17 3D printers in operation. By counting on a number of companions and integrating options intelligently, the agency has given itself redundancy and scale. Given all of the latest hoopla with each ExOne and Voxeljet, the redundancy is actually a wise transfer. Now we all know, in fact, that BMW’s setup shouldn’t be one in all a row of containers however moderately a posh built-in system incorporating robots and sensing in a manufacturing line. One other tidbit is the “environmentally pleasant inorganic binder techniques,” and this may increasingly sound initially like some PR fluff. However BMW could be very severe about eco-friendly conduct and targets. It’s not only a query of scale. In European firms, environmental targets at the moment are tied to bonuses and particular person efficiency. In lots of different markets, greenwashing is extra frequent than precise inexperienced conduct, however in Europe, a minimum of, being environmentally pleasant issues. If we need to scale with automotive companies, these sorts of requirements should be adhered to. And environmental considerations may very well be a purpose to undertake additive manufacturing as properly. I do know of examples the place, in selecting additive applied sciences and distributors, it was the environmental differentiation that made massive firms choose one over the opposite.
Talking of topology optimization, that bracket continues to be processing on somebody’s FEA cloud. Picture courtesy of BMW.
One other factor we must always take into consideration is that we, in 3D printing, form of suppose we personal topology optimization. If a component appears Geiger-esque or optimized, we’ll virtually mechanically assume that additionally it is made with additive. We have to notice that for software program distributors, the chance in optimizing topologies for typical manufacturing is way higher, instantly, than for optimizing 3D printed elements. There’s simply a lot extra expertise, put in base, capability, data, and conference in these elements. It’s less expensive (and safer) for firms to stick with what they know. Topology optimization is one thing that we are going to be seeing rather more broadly in lots of extra elements going ahead. However conventionally made topology-optimized elements may very well result in fewer topology-optimized additive elements. If there’s much less purpose for me to make a swap, I’ll stick with what we all know.
We might even be naive if we assumed that the 17 3D printers at Landshut can be topic to will increase on a regular basis. For a few of the sorts of geometries that they’re making proper now, 3D printing cores make sense. Within the skateboard-like electrical car world, different manufacturing strategies might make much more sense. Right here we will see that the brand new engine has fewer 3D printed elements whereas the outdated one makes use of them extensively. Relying on their wants, shoppers will flit out and in of additive. BMW’s familiarity and manufacturing at scale are good, however they aren’t wedded to 3D printing without end.
Nonetheless, the information that BMW is utilizing a number of binder jetting distributors and 17 techniques for sequence manufacturing ought to be comforting to us. Producing 4,000 3D printed intermediates day by day at a serious automotive firm is a big achievement that warrants celebration. Assuming they work round 250 days a yr, that’s one million of simply these 3D printed sand core elements per yr.
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