Additive Manufacturing Audi Sport accelerates production with 3D printing and rapid tooling solutions

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Audi Sport optimized production for the Audi E-Tron GT using 3D printing and design automation. They quickly designed 200 custom tools, jigs, and fixtures with Fixturemate software, drastically reducing design time. Using Ultimaker 3D printers and materials like Tough PLA and TPU, they cut costs by over 80 percent and produced tools in just one day.

When the new Audi E-Tron GT was introduced, the Audi Sport Bôllinger Höfe location in Heilbronn, Germany, rapidly needed almost 200 new tools, jigs and fixtures for its production. Designing these tools costs a lot of time. And outsourcing the production can sometimes take many weeks to months. This is where design automation and 3D printing delivered an unparalleled workflow for Audi Sport.

The Audi Sport Böllinger Höfe factory is a high-end car production facility. Their main production focus is on the high-performance Audi R8 and the fully electric Audi E-Tron GT. These cars are the crème de la crème from the renowned German car manufacturer. The assembly line has German efficiency written all over it. The bare cages come in on robotized platforms and are mounted to a top rail. This train of exclusive cars then passes many stations where order-specific parts are installed. It’s difficult to spot two identical cars next to each other, which makes the whole operation even more impressive.