Volkswagen develops 3D printed metal parts for convertible A-pillars, reducing weight by half

It takes about three years for a traditional car to go from the design to the first car to leave the factory. During this period, all car parts are not allowed to change the design. In the era of electric car development, for example, Tesla cars almost every month. Once the software was automatically updated, the relatively solid system became the Achilles’ heel of traditional car manufacturers. Seeking a breakthrough has become the top priority for the transformation of traditional car factories. Facing the established electric vehicle development trend, traditional automakers are struggling to break through.Volkswagen announced in 2019 that it will produce 10,000 metal parts on the HP Metal Jet system together with GKN and HP, emphasizing its3D printingPromise of.So after the 2020 epidemic, Volkswagen will3D printingHow is the progress in the industrialized production of auto parts?Volkswagen will HP’s metal3D printingThe latest exploration of technology used for manufacturing purposes.

© hp

Approach the goal on the basis of cooperation

According to the plan released by Volkswagen in 2019, HP’s metal will be used in Volkswagen3D printingTechnology, the first is mass customization and the manufacture of decorative parts, and HP’s Metal Jet will be integrated as soon as possible3D printingThe structural components are integrated into the next generation of vehicles, and focus on the ever-increasing component size and technical requirements.

Volkswagen’s goal is to produce 50,000 to 100,000 football-sized parts per year.These3D printingComponents may include shift levers and rearview mirror brackets. With its advantages in lightweight, additive manufacturing has been deployed in the growing field of electric vehicle production. At that time, HP expected to produce metal parts that have undergone a complete safety certification process in the near future.

So after a year and a half, is Volkswagen close to its goal?

At present, Volkswagen has established the California Innovation and Engineering Center (IECC), launched a unique concept car integrated with 3D printing, and soon announced that it has produced 10,000 metal parts jets on HP Metal together with GKN and HP3D printingsystem. It was this milestone that paved the way for Volkswagen and HP to continue their cooperation to integrate Volkswagen’s 3D printed structural parts into its next-generation cars.

Volkswagen is one of the first partners to use HP Metal Jet technology © Volkswagen

Volkswagen said that the metal binder spray3D printingThe technology will advance the production maturity of 3D printing in automobile manufacturing, making the technology cost-effective. In order to take advantage of binder injection, Volkswagen is expanding its partnership with HP to deploy more production capacity and introduce Siemens to provide specialized software for this technology.

© HP

The latest developments are exciting. Starting from the summer of 2021, Volkswagen, HP and Siemens will be3D printingThe center establishes a joint expert team. Through their respective partnerships, the two companies will explore which components can be produced quickly and economically through binder injection in the future, and will also study how 3D printing can support Volkswagen’s digital production transformation. Volkswagen and Siemens will also collaborate to optimize the positioning of components in the build room through nesting, thereby doubling the number of parts produced per print session. Through Siemens’ automation and software solutions, Volkswagen will be able to develop and produce parts faster, more flexible, and using fewer resources. So far, the first parts manufactured using binder injection have been sent to Volkswagen’s Osnabrück plant for certification. This part is used for the A-pillar of Volkswagen’s T-Roc convertible, and it is said that the weight is half of the traditional part made of steel plate.

Volkswagen has previously conducted crash tests on 3D printed metal car parts, but until now, mass production has not proven cost-effective.Volkswagen said it will integrate the binder injection technology into the Volkswagen’s 3D printingAbility will change this situation and make certain auto parts production lines economically viable. Volkswagen’s goal is to produce as many as 100,000 3D printed auto parts every year at its Wolfsburg plant by 2025. The initial cooperation with Siemens is part of a larger and more comprehensive strategic partnership between the two companies in the field of digital production platforms.

(Editor in charge: admin)