Laempe 3D Printing Technology Debuts at BMW

Laempe Mössner Sinto GmbH is making its new additive manufacturing system widely available following successful start-up and acceptance of an installation at BMW Group’s aluminum foundry in Landshut, Germany. The printing technology was developed jointly by Laempe and the automaker, as well as its partner R. Scheuchl GmbH.

According to Laempe, sales of Laempe 3D printing technology will start immediately.

Additive manufacturing of sand cores and molds uses chemically bonded sand as a printing medium, transferring CAD models into digital ‘slices’ of finished parts, which are reproduced in successive layers by the printing process until the design is completed in three dimensions.

“As with any project of this size, there were uncertainties, challenges, and uncertain schedules along the way; together with the customer, we were able to solve all of these tasks,” managing director Andreas Mössner reported about the development. “We would particularly like to thank our employees and the BMW Group for the successful outcome.”

BMW Landshut casts light-metal engine, suspension, and structural castings, among other components and systems for all BMW, Mini, and Rolls-Royce vehicles.

Six Laempe additive manufacturing systems are operating at Landshut now, printing molds for a new BMW six-cylinder engine series.

For high-speed, bidirectional printing, the Laempe 3D printers use established industry standards. The process begins with raw material (sand) preparation and continues through to the printing, unpacking, cleaning, and measuring of printed components. The printers are equipped with comprehensive automation solutions that require no manual oversight, including 3D-measurement and core removal.

As reported by Laempe, the printer uses an ‘open’ process design, meaning that foundries may choose the raw material they prefer to produce molds and cores. Individual printers are designed to be modified for fully automated operation, and Laempe has developed the ‘Laempe Printing Wizard Software’ to optimize the slicing, scaling, and morphing of print jobs.

‘With our innovative 3D-printing technology we expect that many more applications can be economically transferred from classic core shooting to additive manufacturing in the future,” Andreas Mössner added. “We can therefore offer our customers and partners a real competitive advantage and a forward-looking solution that will open up new growth opportunities for us.”

The 3D printing technology was among a series of developments profiled by Laempe Mossner Sinto at GIFA 2023, collectively labeled “the hybrid and digital core shop.”

“We are the only supplier to develop and operate both core shooters and 3D printers, which means we know the cost structures of both technologies inside out,” Mössner said.