In June 2024, the SPE Central Europe AutomotiveAward honored a 3D printed component for the first time in its history. The year’s grand award winner was a center console carrier created for a BMW Group vehicle, which is headed for production in 2027. The console is one of the largest 3D printed polymer components to be used in a commercial automobile to date, and stands to significantly reduce both the manufacturing complexity and carbon footprint of the overall vehicle. 

The 3D printed version of the center console consolidates seven parts from the conventional assembly down to just one part produced through large-format additive manufacturing (LFAM). Rather than rely on injection molding (requiring a large, expensive tool) for the main body of the console and subsequent assembly work of parts from various suppliers, BMW can produce these new consoles in one piece with robot-based 3D printers supplied by the additive division of Hans Weber Maschinenfabrik. Each console can be 3D printed in about 3 hours and 40 minutes on the latter’s DXR platform MEX or LSP systems equipped with a single-screw Weber AE 20 extruder; only minimal machining is required before the component can be finished and installed. 

Notably, the design integrates two air ducts that would otherwise need to be manufactured separately through a tooling-based molding process. 3D printing enabled integrating these air ducts in a more ideal route through the console, while also reducing overall manufacturing and assembly operations. 

About 18,000 3D printed center console carriers will be needed annually. In production, the components will be 3D printed in-house by BMW, using Hans Weber robotic 3D printers and Akromid PA11 material from Akro-Plastic. Unlike smaller fused filament fabrication (FFF) 3D printers, Hans Weber’s large-scale DXR printers operate through fused granulate fabrication (FGF) or “direct extrusion” which enables 3D printing with readily available pellet materials, the same as those used in many molding processes, as opposed to filaments or powders created specially for additive. The Akromid material contains 40% recycled carbon fiber and renewable raw materials. 

The material choice and design help to reduce the weight of the center console by 30% compared to the assembled version, which will enable better energy efficiency. The combination of recycled and renewable material, reduced weight, and overall optimization represented by the center console has resulted in a savings of about 70 kg of carbon for the entire vehicle.