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20 May 2019
Concept Reply is part of the BMBF research project 'Industrialization and Digitization of Additive Manufacturing (AM) for Automotive Series Processes' (IDAM).
Additive manufacturing plays an important role in the development of the Industrie 4.0 as it seamlessly fits into a digitalized process chain that is connected both, vertically and horizontally. On March 27, 2019, the IDAM joint project launched in Munich with the aim of facilitating the usage of additive manufacturing in automotive series production. The project is coordinated by the BMW Group. In addition to renowned research institutions, such as the Fraunhofer Institute for Laser Technology ILT in Aachen and the Chair for Digital Additive Production DAP at RWTH Aachen University, Concept Reply, with other companies, is taking the project forward.
With an interdisciplinary approach, IDAM pursues the goal of advancing the 'industrialization and digitization of additive manufacturing (AM) for automotive series processes'. Sponsored by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), IDAM is set to further strengthen Germany's leading role as a manufacturing location.
Metal 3D printing has enormous potential when it comes to rendering the production of moulds, for example, more cost- and time-efficient.. Additionally, this technology opens up new horizons in terms of mass customisation, i.e. the serial individualisation of products, which is made possible by the availability of parts on-demand without additional effort.
Metal 3D printing will be implemented at BMW's Additive Manufacturing Centre in Munich and at the automotive supplier GKN Powder Metallurgy in Bonn. The IDAM project team ensures that the additive manufacturing technology meets the actual requirements of identical parts and individual and spare parts production. Through high automation and modulation, the project aims to produce more than 50,000 components per year in mass production and more than 10,000 individual and spare parts.
A crucially important aspect of the IDAM project will be the creation of a Digital Twin, which will provide the interfaces between the individual processing stages and pave the road to effective automation. As experts in the field of the Internet of Things (IoT) and the development of Digital Twins for industrial processes, Concept Reply was identified as the ideal partner to establish this critical component.
The Digital Twin will integrate specialised software with the physical industrial manufacturing production line into an industrialised and highly automated series process that can be fully integrated into an automotive production environment.
The Digital Twin will be a hub for all data analysis and visualisation tools in addition to facilitating the two-way communication between the machines and the relevant stakeholders. Furthermore, tools from the fields of Big Data and Artificial Intelligence, key to the development and refinement of optimal processes, will be integrated into the Digital Twin.