Audi Toolmaking ist currently investigating further possible applications of metal 3D printers for the production of complex components.
For the total of 14 toolmaking units in nine countries, cooperative ventures for research and development have been established. Prof. Dr. Hubert Waltl, Audi’s Board of Management Member for Production and Head of Toolmaking at the Volkswagen Group explains: “We are pushing forward with new manufacturing technologies at Audi Toolmaking and at the Volkswagen Group. Together with partners in the area of research, we are constantly exploring the boundaries of new processes. One of our goals is to apply metal printers in series production.”
The first focus of the cooperation will be the implementation of metal 3D printing and 3D printing in the sand‑printing method. Audi Toolmaking has recently used metal 3D printing to create all the metallic parts of the Silver Arrow model “Auto Union Typ C” on a scale of 1:2. Therefore, a laser melts layers of metal powder with a grain size of 15 to 40 thousandths of a millimetre. Currently, the company uses aluminium and steel powder to produce components with a maximum length of 240 mm and a hight of up to 200 mm. According to Audi, these 3D printed components achieved a higher density than components made by die casting or hot forming.
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