German performance sportscar manufacturerPorschehas been investigating the potential of additive manufacturing in automotive for some time. In its close relationship with theVolkswagen Group, Porsche has introduced metal3D printing for component cooling. And, in 2018, the company greenlighted aclassic car spare part replacementproject using SLM/SLS for metal and plastic parts.
Though Porsche’s specific additive manufacturing partners are typically undisclosed new comments from Christian Thönes, Chairman of the Board at DMG MORI, serve to shed light on the role 3D printing is playing in its partnership with the company.
DMG MORI hybrid manufacturing
Before his executive board tenure, Thönes was responsible for building DMG MORI’s advanced technologies business, encompassing ULTRASONIC and LASERTEC machines. Where ULTRASONIC is responsible for traditional milling of advanced materials, LASERTEC is DMG MORI’shybrid machiningrange. In LASERTEC machines LMD or PBF additive manufacturing is combined with traditional milling in a single turnkey system.
Porsche and DMG MORI
DMG MORI’s history with Porsche dates back to at least 2014. From then up to 2017, DMG MORI was the exclusive partner of the PorscheFIA World Endurance Championshipteam, working on the 919 Hybrid sports-prototype racecar.
现在停产了，允许保时捷专注于Formula E，919赛车是一辆混合动力的车辆，依靠带有锂离子电池的直接注射涡轮增压V4发动机。DMG Mori的传统加工技术用于制造919混合动力车的一部分。然而，塞恩斯（Thönes）以添加剂制造为领先的解决方案，他说：“ […]由于燃油消耗和下二氧化碳排放的降低相关[…]对汽车制造商而言，组件更轻的汽车制造商越来越重要。”
3D printing for electric engines
In Germany, Development Centre Weissach is home to some of Porsche’s experimentation in additive manufacturing. Using powder bed fusion based metal and polymer fabrication techniques, developers at the center have been investigating the technology’s potential application in rotor shafts for electric engines.
Frank Ickinger, Senior Engineer for Advanced Engineering and Engine Predevelopment at Porsche, comments, “It can still take up to 13 hours to print one rotor shaft like this [with PBF technolgies].”
As such, Thönes is keen to maintain the strong promise of a collaboration between additive and subtractive technologies in the future of manufacturing:
“While additive manufacturing offers many advantages, it is also clear that traditional production processes – such as turning and milling – will continue to have their place in future.”
Interestingly, he also suggests the potential of a system combining metal and polymers in one, describing “A laser beam that creates a few thousand degrees Celsius in a focused manner […] used to fuse stainless steel with plastic.”
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Featured image shows 3D printed plastic car prototype. Photo via Porsche
