Introducing serial additive manufacturing into the automotive industry

The BMW Group has launched what promises to be a landmark project for the introduction of serial additive manufacturing into the automotive industry. Named the “Industrialization and Digitization of Additive Manufacturing (AM) for Automotive Series Processes,” or IDAM for short, this project is supported by the expertise of 11 leading industry stakeholders and SMEs, including the Fraunhofer Institute for Laser Technology ILT.

The overall goal is to be able to produce at least 50,000 components per year in mass production using additive manufacturing, and over 10,000 individual and spare parts.

An early adopter of additive manufacturing, BMW has been working and experimenting with the technology for several years, applying it to numerous functional and blue-sky innovation projects. The company has won awards for its 3D printed roof brackets, and its redesign of the S1000RR motorcycle frame serves as a demonstration of just a fraction of its capabilities.