Aluminium Expo | BMW Launches New Generation of Aluminium Bionic Robotic Grippers: The Perfect Choice for Handling CFRP Roofs

The German multinational luxury car manufacturer, BMW Group, with over 30 years of experience, is a pioneer in the field of additive manufacturing (commonly known as 3D printing). It is reported that the BMW Group's Landshut plant has launched a new generation of bionic robotic grippers, made using an innovative process involving sand casting molds filled with liquid Aluminium. These new Aluminium robotic grippers are 25% lighter than their predecessors, enabling a single robot to handle the entire CFRP (carbon fiber reinforced plastic) roof of the BMW M3, instead of requiring three. Currently, all CFRP roofs at the BMW Group's Landshut plant are manufactured using double grippers individually produced by the BMW Group through 3D printing.

According to Aluminium Expo, this innovation stems from the analysis and topological optimization of previous gripper designs, leading to the creation of the bionic robotic gripper. This advanced gripper combines LSP-printed roof shells with SLS vacuum cleaners and bionically optimized bearing structures. The process involves using molds with printed cores in sand casting, followed by casting complex Aluminium structures.

These grippers can secure and move the entire floor assembly of the BMW i4. The gripper is optimized for weight and maximum load capacity, and, including all additional components, it weighs only 110 kilograms, making it about 30% lighter than previous conventional models.

“There are many benefits to the increasing use of additive manufacturing in the BMW Group's production system. For example, we can quickly, economically, and flexibly produce our own production aids and handling robots, which can be individually adjusted at any time according to specific requirements and optimized for weight. Lighter weight can improve the speed of the production line, shorten cycle times, and reduce costs. Additionally, in the medium term, smaller robots can be used, which also reduces CO2 emissions and costs,” added Jens Ertel, Head of Additive Manufacturing at BMW.