At the ARENA2036 research campus in Stuttgart, a team from the Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Engineering and Automation (IPA) is working on the further development of selective laser sintering (SLS) for industrial use in the automotive industry. The aim is to use optimized 3D printing processes to produce functional plastic components faster, more flexibly and without cost-intensive tools.
The focus is on a new industrial 3D printer that relies on a fiber laser, which allows a higher power density and more precise focusing compared to conventional CO₂ lasers. According to Patrick Springer, head of the research team for additive processes for thermoplastics at Fraunhofer IPA, this allows finer structures with high dimensional accuracy to be realized while reducing construction times.
“It has a higher output and can be more focused than the CO2 lasers currently in use,” explains Springer. “This enables the system to produce components with exact dimensions in a short time.”
“We use a polypropylene powder that is mixed with small glass particles and gives the finished plastic component more rigidity. It is a material that is not yet commercially available. We now have to gradually adapt the printing process to the new material and its properties so that it runs reliably and produces the desired geometries,” says Springer.
A specially developed polypropylene powder is used, which has been reinforced with microscopically small glass particles. This combination of materials increases the rigidity of the end product, but is still in the experimental phase and requires the process parameters to be adjusted.
The setup is supplemented by a sensor system for monitoring the process. It records reflected laser signals in real time in order to provide information about the quality of the consolidation and potential sources of error. The data obtained will be used to develop an AI model that will support automated process control in the long term.
“It should allow us to observe the printing process virtually live,” explains Springer. “It records the signals that are reflected when the laser beam hits the powder with the glass particles. From this, we can hopefully deduce whether the process is running correctly or whether errors are occurring. We are working closely with the sensor manufacturer and the University of Stuttgart.”
“With additive manufacturing, it could take just two to three weeks before the components are available,” Springer points out. “The developers can use the time saved to either further optimize the component or bring it to market more quickly. And for series production, larger quantities can then be produced economically with one tool.”
As part of the “DigiAutoFab” project, which runs until mid-2026, work is also being carried out on a fully digitalized process chain – from design and additive manufacturing through to post-processing and quality control. In the long term, the process should not only shorten the development times for prototypes, but also enable the needs-based production of variants and spare parts in vehicle construction.
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