Metal AM parts in series production for BMW’s new i8 Roadster

News
December 12, 2017

December 12, 2017

Metal 3D printed parts in series production for BMW’s new i8 Roadster

A metal additively manufactured part has entered series production for the BMW i8 (Courtesy BMW Group)

 

BMW Group’s newly launched i8 Roadster features a lightweight metal additively manufactured cover carrier. The part is used to carry a cover which unfolds when opening the roof of BMW’s advanced open-top hybrid sports car.

Manufactured from AlSi10Mg0.5 in a Powder Bed AM process, the part offers increased stiffness and reduced weight. Each i8 Roadster will include two of the AM cover carrier components, a left and right hand version. Production is expected to run to several thousand parts.

 

Metal 3D printed parts in series production for BMW’s new i8 Roadster

Manufactured from AlSi10Mg0.5 in a Powder Bed AM process, the part offers increased stiffness and reduced weight (Courtesy BMW Group)

 

According to BMW Group, the use of metal AM allowed the topologically optimised parts to be produced in a geometric form which would not have been possible using conventional casting techniques. This ensures the optimum balance between the component’s rigidity and weight.

The ability to reduce the weight and part count of automotive components is a key advantage of AM, with vehicle light-weighting being one vital way in which vehicle manufactures can increase fuel efficiency.

 

Metal 3D printed parts in series production for BMW’s new i8 Roadster

The new i8 roadster by BMW (Courtesy BMW Group)

 

The i8 Roadster premiered during the Los Angeles Auto Show in December 2017 and will see its market launch in May 2018.

www.bmwgroup.com

News
December 12, 2017

In the latest issue of Metal AM magazine

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Extensive AM industry news coverage, as well as the following exclusive deep-dive articles:

  • Kennametal: The story of the successful commercialisation of AM hardmetal and steel solutions
  • General Atomics Aeronautical on metal Additive Manufacturing’s place at the centre of the digital manufacturing revolution
  • Adrian Keppler on Additive Manufacturing: An insider’s assessment from the outside
  • Metal AM’s journey to industrialisation: Are we there yet? And what does the destination even look like?
  • A stronger future, layer by layer: How next-generation software will drive adoption of metal AM
  • Volkmann: Making the case for the complete automation of powder handling in AM
  • Metal AM on an industrial scale: GKN Additive draws on decades of sintering expertise to commercialise Binder Jetting
  • International Conference on Electron Beam Additive Manufacturing: Highlights from EBAM 2023

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