Additive manufacturing BMW scales up 3D printing in production with lightweight grippers and moulds

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BMW is expanding its use of 3D printing in production, deploying lightweight, custom robot grippers and sand casting moulds to boost efficiency, cut emissions, and enable more flexible, automated manufacturing across its global plants.

With more than 30 years of experience, the BMW Group is a pioneer in the field of additive manufacturing, better known as 3D printing. 3D printers have been used from as early as 1991 to produce individual vehicle parts and components, initially for concept cars, prototypes and race cars, then later for production models. The BMW Group now also manufactures many work aids and tools for its own production system in various 3D printing processes. From tailor-made orthoses for employees, and teaching and production aids, to large, weight-optimised robot grippers, used for such things as CFRP roofs and entire floor assemblies. At the “Additive Manufacturing Campus” in Oberschleißheim, the BMW Group’s central hub for production, research and training in 3D printing, more than 300,000 parts were “printed” in 2023. Furthermore, over 100,000 printed parts were produced per year across all the plants that form the global production network, from Spartanburg and the German plants to sites in Asia.

“The increasing use of additive manufacturing in the BMW Group production system has many benefits. For example, we are able to quickly, economically, and flexibly produce our own production aids and handling robots, which we can individually adapt to specific requirements at any time, as well as being able to optimise their weight. Less weight allows higher speeds on the production line, shorter cycle times and reduced costs. Plus, smaller robots can be used in the medium term, which also cuts CO₂ emissions and costs,” says Jens Ertel, Head of BMW Additive Manufacturing.