Partner project involving Premium AEROTEC, Daimler, and EOS for developing series additive manufacturing (3D printing) reaches new milestone. Pilot plant with EOS M 400-4 four-laser system for industrial 3D printing with metal materials.

Additive manufacturing (AM) is becoming an increasingly important factor in the industry, also with regard to series production. Against this background, aerostructures supplier Premium AEROTEC, automotive manufacturer Daimler, and EOS, the leading technology supplier in the field of industrial 3D printing, have joined forces in the NextGenAM project to develop the next generation of additive manufacturing. Since the project began in May 2017, the NextGenAM team has checked the entire AM process to assess its potential for automation. Now the first pilot plant is now operating at Premium AEROTEC‘s technology centre in Varel.

The goal of the project is to develop a complete production cell capable of manufacturing aluminium components for the automotive and aerospace industries. All the individual steps and processes in the production chain are fully automated and integrated. As a result, complex, lightweight and robust components can be manufactured and the high level of automation forms the basis for profitable production in the future.

The centre of the pilot production chain is the EOS M 400-4 four-laser system for industrial 3D printing with metal materials, which is used in combination with the peripheral solutions of the EOS Shared-Modules concept. The EOS M 400-4 in Varel is equipped with a powder station and connected to a stand-alone setup and unpacking station. As a result, filling and emptying the system with the aluminium material, setting up the system to prepare a new build job, and unpacking the built components from the powder bed can be carried out independently of and parallel to the actual AM build process, significantly increasing productivity.

Post-processing has also been extensively automated. A robot takes the build platform with the parts from the setup station and places it in a furnace for heat treatment, then later removes it and takes it to a three-dimensional optical measurement system for quality assurance purposes. Finally, the build platform is taken to a saw, which separates the parts from the platform.

The successful development of the automated process chain is the result of cooperation between all the project partners, each contributing their various skills and experience. EOS is the global technology and quality leader for high-end solutions in the field of industrial 3D printing, and Premium AEROTEC was the first manufacturer in the world to supply serial 3D-printed structural components for Airbus aircraft. Up to now, titanium powder has been used for this. However, one of the aims of the NextGenAM project is also to qualify aluminium for use. Daimler contributes its experience in the field of mass production – an essential aspect if the pilot plant is to be used to manufacture parts on a large scale.

“3D printing is well on the way to establishing itself in the automotive sector as an additional manufacturing method with great versatility,” says Jasmin Eichler, Daimler AG, head of research future technologies. “With this collaborative pre-development project, we are taking a significant step towards achieving cost-effectiveness in metal 3D printing throughout the process chain. The project lays the cornerstone for the future realisation of larger quantities in the automotive series production process – with the same reliability, functionality, longevity, and economy as for components from conventional production.”

In the coming months, the pilot process chain will be further tested at the technology centre in Varel and parts of the facility will be audited. In addition, production data will be collected and analysed with the aim of collating precise data on process times, profitability, and cost optimisation.