BMW Group’s center console bracket won the grand champion title at the 2024 SPE Automotive Awards, and 3D-printed components won for the first time. This is an innovation that is set for production in 2027 and is the first time 3D printing is also used in automotive manufacturing. It also shows BMW’s desire to simplify manufacturing and decrease carbon emissions.
BMW has adopted additive manufacturing to replace the traditional center console, a product that was comprised of seven separate parts. The discovery represents a major advancement because it enables increased manufacturing speed while reducing expenses. The production process requires less material waste and takes less time to complete. The environmental plans of BMW require the use of sustainable materials in their 3D printing operations. The industry has never seen this kind of achievement, and it proves that manufacturing can find ways to innovate and make automobiles more sustainable.
The 3D Printing Revolution of the Center Console
Today, the award-winning center console bracket is one of the largest 3D-printed polymer components in commercial vehicles. What makes it innovative is that it uses large format additive manufacturing (LFAM) technology that enabled BMW to consolidate seven parts into one part, reducing assembly steps. This change has the major advantage that BMW doesn’t need expensive injection molds or to source parts from different suppliers for assembly. This component is unlike traditional injection molding services in that it is directly produced by a 3D printer from Hans Weber Maschinenfabrik using large-scale printing technology, which can quickly produce complex shaped components. The entire center console printing process requires only about 3 hours and 40 minutes and minimal post-processing.
Furthermore, this innovative technology reduces the production process complexity and increases design efficiency by combining two air ducts. Before 3D printing, these air ducts were traditionally manufactured separately through molding, but being able to be more rationally placed within the center console reduces production and assembly workload.
Therefore, BMW expects to need about 18,000 such center console brackets per year. Hans Weber’s DXR printer is unlike traditional small-scale fused filament fabrication (FFF) 3D printers, as it uses fused granular fabrication (FGF) technology, or “direct extrusion.” The method allows BMW to print with ready-to-use granule materials instead of filaments or powders designed for additive manufacturing. Interestingly, the BMW Akromid PA11 material used contains 40% recycled carbon fibers and renewable raw materials, which not only helps it to be more functional but also more environmentally-friendly.
Reducing Weight and Carbon Emissions
The use of 3D printing in the center console is a unique and innovative way for BMW to use 3D printing in the car, which has advantages over traditional assembly methods. The component is 30% lighter, making the vehicle more efficient, and it’s made from recycled and regenerative materials which reduce carbon emissions by 70 kg. The climate-friendly methodology represents a stable path toward devotion to sustainability by minimizing energy use and environmental effects.
The implementation of sophisticated manufacturing systems at BMW allows the firm to enhance manufacturing effectiveness along with bringing the automotive sector to a new performance standard. Adopting 3D printing reduces material waste and optimizes resource usage resulting in savings on costs and adoption towards environmental goals. The use of recycled materials also adds to the eco-friendly innovation that BMW is committed to.
Such a strategy shows how automakers can meet performance, cost efficiency, and environmental responsibility. This is a good example for the industry to follow; how to use cutting-edge technologies and sustainable materials to make future automotive manufacturing. With the industry moving towards greener practices, BMW’s leadership speaks of the possibility of cutting emissions while maintaining high quality and design.
BMW’s Plastic Strategy: Leading the Way
The use of 3D printing in the center console is a unique and innovative way for BMW to use 3D printing in the car, which has advantages over traditional assembly methods. It’s lighter by 30% to improve vehicle efficiency and made from recycled and regenerative materials, carbon emissions are reduced by about 70kg. This is a way that shows BMW’s concern for sustainability by reducing energy consumption and environmental impact.
Integration of advanced manufacturing techniques not only make BMW more efficient in production, but also put the automotive industry into a new benchmark. 3D printing also helps reduce material waste which results in economic savings or reaching green increases. The use of recycled materials also adds to the eco-friendly innovation that BMW is committed to.
This shows that automakers can have the best performance, cost efficiency, and environmental responsibility. BMW’s strategy is an example for the industry with regard to high-tech solutions and sustainable materials that will shape automotive manufacturing tomorrow. With the industry moving towards greener practices, BMW’s leadership speaks of the possibility of cutting emissions while maintaining high standards of quality and improved design.
Recycled Plastics Becoming an Industry Trend, BMW Actively Prepares for Recycling
As BMW’s plastic strategy in the global automotive industry shifts towards sustainability, the use of recycled plastics has become an important part. New EU regulations mean that BMW will increasingly be using recycled materials, including recycled plastics from the ocean, such as abandoned fishing nets and ropes. Starting in 2025, BMW will use 30% of the recycled plastics derived from ocean waste in interior and exterior trim parts in new models. By 2030, BMW Group wants to increase the share of recycled materials in thermoplastic components of new models to 40%.
Actions like these show BMW’s commitment to environmental protection and help speed up the advanced technology of plastic recycling and reuse. BMW’s “Future Sustainable Car Materials (FSCM)” project with partners like Evonik has been using the opportunity to explore plastic recycling technologies in depth in order to provide more efficient solutions for BMW’s plastic applications.
For instance, the BMW i7 is replete with renewable nylon Econyl made from people who fish using ocean-recycled fishing nets and recyclable plastics, lowering the vehicle’s carbon footprint by 80 percent. Also, the BMW iX and BMW X1 models have first-floor mats made from recycled nylon yarn, and the BMW X3 air intake components are made from recycled polypropylene. BMW’s commitment to promoting sustainability in vehicle bodies and components is reflected completely in these innovations.
BMW also has a strategic cooperation with battery recycling company Redwood Materials to jointly develop recycling of lithium-ion batteries for electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles. Not only does this partnership allow for the recovery of key mineral components such as nickel, cobalt, lithium, and copper from used electric vehicle batteries, but it also provides BMW with an advantage in the field of sustainability.
Innovating for a Circular Economy: BMW’s Vision for Sustainable Manufacturing
Today, BMW goes beyond the use of recycled plastics and lightweight materials circular economy to create a circular economy for automotive manufacturing. Innovative production processes and strategic partnerships are the company’s way to reduce resource consumption, minimize waste, and increase material reuse.
A key part of this vision is that BMW is committed to closed loop material cycles so that end-of-life vehicle components can be reused for subsequent production. BMW is integrating increasingly more recycled and renewable materials such as ocean waste plastics and bio-based composites so that it needs ever fewer virgin resources and ever lower carbon emissions. The company has also invested in advanced dismantling and sorting technologies which enable easier recovery of valuable materials from decommissioned vehicles.
Furthermore, BMW is also working on new manufacturing techniques for improving sustainability. The company also works beyond 3D printing into chemical recycling methods that break down plastic waste back into raw materials for reuse to support the low-carbon journey of the supply chain. As a leader in the automotive industry is transitioning towards environmentally responsible production, BMW’s focus on sustainable innovation paints it as one.
This goes beyond eliminating environmentally damaging business practices; it shows the way for a fully circular, sustainable future in automotive manufacturing, and above all, for the automotive industry.
Conclusion: BMW’s Low-Carbon and Environmental Strategy
BMW deeply understands the whole lifecycle of its vehicles and is applying plastics and recycled materials extensively in manufacturing while also continuously optimizing design and production processes to reach its sustainability goals. The company’s approach takes it beyond material selection; it is about reducing resource consumption, minimizing waste, and improving efficiency at every step of production.
3D printing is an innovative technology, although it is enabling BMW to simplify components, reduce emissions, and increase production efficiency. BMW is demonstrating its commitment to reducing environmental impact, by utilizing recycled plastics, which are now being widely used, coming from ocean waste or other materials. BMW is set to exceed its goal of recycling more than 20 percent of all materials, including thermoplastic by 2030 and to further develop its leadership in sustainable automotive manufacturing with 40 percent of recycled materials in thermoplastic components.
Furthermore, BMW is also investing in closed-loop material cycles, so that end-of-life vehicle components are reused for future use. This forward policy develops the automotive industry toward greener, green manufacturing. While BMW continues to step out on the lead of new technologies and eco-friendly materials, its plastic strategy will be a roadmap for the whole industry and set new environmental responsibility benchmarks.
