Volkswagen says it is using a new 3D printing process called “binder jetting” at its headquarters in Wolfsburg, Germany. The process allows it to make components that are 50% lighter than parts made from sheet steel.
Binder jetting replaces the laser used in traditional 3D printing with a two-step process that involves the use of an adhesive to built parts up. The process, says VW, allows it to reduce costs and increase productivity. Volkswagen is currently the only automaker using the process.
Specifically, the first parts made with the process (which are currently awaiting internal certification) are A-pillar components for the T-Roc Cabriolet. The parts are, indeed, about half as heavy as they would be if they had been made traditionally and Volkswagen says that it has already tested 3D printed parts for crashworthiness.
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“Despite the ongoing challenges of the coronavirus pandemic, we’re continuing to work on innovation,” says Christian Vollmer, VW’s head of Production and Logistics. “Together with our partners, we aim to make 3D printing even more efficient in the years ahead and suitable for production-line use.”
Volkswagen also announced that it has entered into a software partnership with Siemens to complement the existing printer partnership it has with HP Inc. This, it says, will allow it to gain even more production advantages and will lead to efficiencies like nesting, in which multiple parts are made at the same time in the same printing chamber. Taken together, these innovations will make 3D printing inexpensive enough for it to be viable in mass-produced vehicles, VW says.
The new technology is just the latest in VW’s long history with 3D printing, which stretches back an impressive 25 years. By 2025, the automaker plans to produce up to 100,000 3D printed parts per year.
