J850Prime

The technology offered by Stratasys enables the mixing of raw materials in real time. Audi is using this 3D printing technology to improve and accelerate automotive design. Audi expects to significantly reduce the prototyping lead time for the design of the rear light housings used in its vehicles. Development time can be reduced by up to 50% compared to traditional methods. Thanks to the vibrant colors of the Stratasys J750 3D printer, Audi can 3D print transparent, multi-colored parts – directly from a colored, textured version of the digital CAD model – that meet the texture and color requirements of the rigorous design and approval process.

Before new vehicles go into production, Audi’s pre-production center in Ingolstadt builds physical models and prototypes for the brand to thoroughly evaluate new designs and concepts. This requires that most of the vehicle’s components are available early in the development process before they hit the production line – from rims to door handles to radiator grilles. Traditional methods such as casting or CNC milling are widely used to create and reproduce physical models and parts when implementing new designs and concepts. In addition to traditional methods, 3D printing has become an integral part of the design work at Audi’s pre-production center, allowing the team to overcome the limitations of traditional processes and speed up the verification and approval of designs. In the case of the taillight covers, the team traditionally used casting or milling to produce individual parts. With traditional methods, creating the multi-colored covers for the taillights was the biggest challenge. The individual components, each with different colors, had to be assembled after production, as they could not be produced in one piece with different colors and textures using traditional methods. This time-consuming process increased the lead time for design verification, thereby increasing the time needed to bring the product to market. Colorful, ultra-realistic models are created from digital models at the touch of a button, making the new generation of 3D printing accelerate design To streamline and simplify the process, Audi’s 3D Plastics Printing Center is using the Stratasys J750, a 3D printer capable of printing six different materials simultaneously and in true color. This allows fully transparent, even multi-colored, taillight covers to be printed in one piece, eliminating the need for the previous multi-step process. With more than 500,000 color combinations, the team can 3D print gradient and textured transparent parts that meet the strictest requirements set by Audi’s design-approval process. “Design is one of the most important purchasing considerations for Audi customers, so it is crucial that we adhere to the highest quality standards in the design and concept phase of vehicle development.” – explains Dr. Tim Spiering, head of Audi’s 3D Plastics Printing Center. – So we need prototypes that have accurate part geometry, are free of distortion, are of extremely high quality, and have true-to-design color and transparency. The Stratasys J750 3D printer is a huge advantage for us, as it allows us to print accurate textures and colors that match our designs. This is essential for getting design concepts approved for production. When it comes to 3D printed transparent parts, I haven’t seen any other technology that meets our specifications.” “By using the Stratasys J750 to prototype taillight housings, we are speeding up the design review process.” – adds Spiering. – We estimate that we can achieve up to 50 percent time savings by using 3D printing technology in prototyping taillight bulbs.” Dr. Spiering and his 24-person team are responsible for 3D plastic printing expertise, consulting and production at Audi’s headquarters in Ingolstadt. Since investing in the first Stratasys FDM 3D printer in 2002, the division has expanded its portfolio with ten 3D polymer printers, including Stratasys FDM and PolyJet 3D printers. Andy Middleton, Regional President of Stratasys EMEA, summed it up: “Audi is a prime example of how our unique 3D printing technology, based on real-time mixing of multiple materials in full color, can simplify various design processes and effectively shorten development cycles. If the time savings that Audi achieved with the taillights are extended to other vehicle components, the overall impact on time to market will be enormous. We are excited to see how Audi will use our FDM and PolyJet technologies in new and emerging application areas, taking advantage of the advantages we offer in increasing the efficiency of the development process.” Source: STRATASYS.com