Mobility, Transport & Logistics

Mobility, Transport & Logistics

The high demands of the automotive can only be met if you understand the norms and requirements of those applications. If you do so, there are endless possibilities for 3D-printing in this exciting industry. Curious? See for yourself.

ISO-certified Light & Heat resistant colors

Reproducible & tracable processes

Washable & scratch resistant surfaces

NEWS & STORIES

STEPPING ON THE GAS WITH THE AUTOMOTIVE INDUSTRY

POLYLINE PROJECT

POLYLINE AT BMW GROUP

DYEMANSION, EOS & GRENZEBACH SUCCESFULLY IMPLEMENTED FIRST EVER AUTOMATED AM PRODUCTION LINE FOR POLYMER PARTS AT SCALE

©DyeMansion
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The POLYLINE project achieved to be the first successful implementation of an automated additive manufacturing production line for polymer parts at scale. At the Additive Manufacturing Campus of BMW, the project partners made real 3D printing serial production with high throughput a reality.

DyeMansion, the global leader in post-processing solutions for industrial polymer 3D printing, was responsible for delivering the right look and feel for the final application – so all areas of post-processing: cleaning, surfacing, and coloring. DyeMansion’s processes are completely traceable, ensuring consistent quality. The Powershot DUAL Performance fulfills all requirements for physical automation, so it can run batch after batch continuously without the need for an operator to be present.

The POLYLINE project brought together 15 industrial and research partners from Germany to develop a next-generation digitalized production line. This line has been used to produce plastic parts for the automotive industry. The aim was to complement conventional production techniques (e.g. machining, casting, etc.) with Additive Manufacturing (AM) in the form of high-throughput production line systems. The project was funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research with a total of 10.7 Mio. Euro. The project had a defined duration of three years. After the successful completion of the POLYLINE project BMW, DyeMansion, EOS and Grenzebach – four partners of the consortium – draw a very positive balance.

POLYLINE project partners involved: BMW, DyeMansion, EOS, Grenzebach, Krumm e.K., 3yourmind, Optris, Additive Marking, Olschner, Uni Paderborn, Uni Duisburg-Essen, Uni Dortmund, Fraunhofer IGCV, Universität Augsburg, Fraunhofer IML.

Associated partners: WAZP, STIHL, Protiq, GS1 Germany, Oechsler, ZF, Main Incubator, TOPTICA, Prototal, 1zu1.

WHAT THE PROJECT TEAM MEMBERS SAY

“Automation is one of the key drivers in our strategy, making it possible to integrate our systems in automated production lines like POLYLINE. And this is important to reduce cost per part and ensure the right quality throughout the whole production chain.”

Philipp Kramer, Co-Founder & CTO at DyeMansion

“The POLYLINE automated process chain fits into the next generation printers and our standard production requirements, is a system-agnostic solution due to their standardized interfaces. Which is crucial for scaling-up Additive Manufacturing at the BMW Group.”

Dr. Blanka Szost-Ouk, Head of AM, Predevelopment & Planning at BMW Group

“The EOS P 500 sets a new standard in terms of industrial Additive Manufacturing. It can be fully automated and fully integrated. The level of automation and integration then differs from the use case and can be adjusted specific to each situation. The machine ensures highest reliability, the highest level of homogeneity, repeatability, and reproducibility.”

Fabian Krauß, Head of Polymer Systems at EOS

“Automation is essential for serial production to increase the productivity of the equipment and to reduce the cost to become more compatible to the conventional production technology of today.”

Oliver Elbert, Head of Additive Manufacturing at Grenzebach

SPARE PARTS

Case study: Daimler Buses

Disrupting the supply chain with a sustainable on-demand production

©DyeMansion, Daimler Buses, EOS
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The global player Daimler already had some experience in Additive Manufacturing and was looking for a way to revolutionize their supply chain for spare parts. A spare part must replicate the original injection molded part as good as possible. It was obvious, that the 3D-printed parts were going to need several stages of post-processing to match the look & feel of the original injection molded part.

A reproducible and traceable process that meets the highest quality requirements. After consultations, the premium automotive manufacturer found a solution with the DyeMansion Print-to-Product workflow, consisting of the blasting systems Powershot C and Powershot S and the DM60, that delivers color to white polyamide parts. The Powershot S achieved a premium finish and kept the textures of the spare parts.

The process does not affect the part structure or geometry, saves the Leather-like surface structure of the parts as well as meets the technical specifications and surface quality standards. In a nutshell:

  • on-demand production
  • customized corporate Daimler colors
  • texture preservation to meet the look and feel of the original injection molded parts
  • reproducible & traceable processes

POLYSHOT CLEANING

POWERSHOT C

POLYSHOT SURFACING

POWERSHOT S

DEEPDYE COLORING

DM60

“We can now produce spare parts at scale using on-demand 3D-printing and finishing processes that meet our technical specifications and surface quality standards.”

Ralf Anderhofstadt, Manager Center of Competence 3D-Printing at Daimler Buses

AUTOMOTIVE

Case study: Ford Mustang

3D-printed pony sculpture to all Mustang Mach-E First Edition buyers

©Ford

When thinking Additive Manufacturing, you think of making parts, assembly fixtures or jigs to help build a vehicle. But this is another place where Additive Manufacturing can shine and showcases its potential to personalize.

The 3D-printed sculpture is made at the Ford Advanced Manufacturing Center and comes in one of three colors, just like the Mach-E First Edition. Printed in white, it’s then sent to a dye facility to be finished in the custom colors Rapid Red Metallic, Grabber Blue Metallic, or Carbonized Gray to match the vehicle it’s handed out with.

Benefits: 

  • customized Mach-E First Edition colors
  • personalized 3D-printed sculptures

POLYSHOT CLEANING

POWERSHOT C

PolyShot Surfacing

POWERSHOT S

DEEPDYE COLORING

DM60

AUTOMOTIVE

Case study: Stratasys Direct Manufacturing x NASCAR

SAF™ air flow ducts manufactured for NASCAR Next Gen cars

©DyeMansion, Stratasys Direct Manufacturing

For the 2022 racing season, NASCAR was looking for a way to cool their drivers inside the cockpit of their vehicles. These parts had to fit perfectly into the windshields, meet all safety and performance criteria as well as be aesthetically pleasing due to their high visibility in the cars.

NASCAR worked closely together with their competition partner and our Production Partner, Stratasys Direct Manufacturing, to create these production parts and get them ready for the racetrack in only a short amount of time. The SAF parts were printed by Stratasys Direct on the Stratasys H350 printer and finished with the DyeMansion Print-to-Product Workflow.

Stratasys Direct Manufacturing was able to deliver finished parts (250 units) on a very short timeline (44 days), while meeting all performance and safety standards. The success of the parts during the 2022 season prove that 3D-printed components are sure to have a lasting impact in NASCAR and the motorsport world.

POLYSHOT CLEANING

POWERSHOT C

DEEPDYE COLORING

DM60

POLYSHOT SURFACING

POWERSHOT S

AUTOMOTIVE

Automotive BlacKX

A light and heat resistant color for car interior parts

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Especially in the automotive sector, reproducibility and improved color fastness are particularly important. If 3D-printed parts are in operation in the interior of cars, they must withstand numerous external influences. The resistance to heat and light, good scratch resistance and good color fastness regarding both distortion and bleeding are particularly worth mentioning here.

To meet these demands, we developed a special color range within the extended ColorsX series, which is characterized by significantly improved light and heat resistance.

The strict criteria of the automotive industry can be met for the first time with this new color. Furthermore, any other color can be developed by automotive brands directly on request via our Color Matching offer.

“We like DyeMansion’s strong focus on the automotive industry. One example is the Automotive BlackX with improved light and heat resistance.”
Daniel Kluth, Category Buyer 3D-Printing at Daimler

Color is true freedom of design

We can create almost every color for your 3D-printed polymer parts.  

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