2023-05-19 14:14:01
During the last edition of the GIFA foundry fair, Voxeljet and Loramendi showed how to automate the 3D printing of foundry cores. BMW has now started using the system in Landshut for automated 3D printing of the cores for casting cylinder heads.
The core of the Loramendi system is that the various steps in the printing process are highly automated. The steps following printing and between the various post-processing steps are automated in the new line. The transport of the build box containing the 3D printed casting cores is done with an AGV.
Fully automated line for 3D sand printing
Reduction of fuel consumption
BMW has opted for 3D printing because the technology offers design freedom. This has enabled the engineers to optimize the engines to reduce fuel consumption. In addition, the car manufacturer is now more flexible in production, also to implement further innovations. The Voxeljet 3D printers print with an inorganic material. As a result, the casting process is virtually emission-free, an important factor for BMW. The light metal foundry started sourcing solar-produced aluminum in 2021. The tens of thousands of tons of solar-derived aluminum thus supplied meet more than a third of the annual requirements of the light metal foundry in Landshut.
Thousands of cores per week
Together with a development team from BMW, Voxeljet and Loramendi in Landshut have optimized the line under the brand name ICP (Industriaization of Core Printing). The ICP line is now fully operational at BMW. Several thousand casting cores are printed per week for the production of the latest generation of combustion engines from BMW.
Loramendi will present this solution in June at GIFA in Dusseldorf. This foundry fair will take place from 12-16 June at the Messe Düsseldorf. At the same time, the Newcast, Metec and Thermprocess trade fairs will be held in Düsseldorf with a total of more than 2,000 exhibitors.
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