Case Study: BMW Group achieves automated high-volume 3D sand-core production with ExOne

BMW Group runs thousands of 3D-printed sand cores per week with ExOne

The BMW Group required a method to economically and reproducibly manufacture highly complex sand cores with intricate internal geometries for its B48 engine. These cores could no longer be produced using conventional methods. The challenge was to develop a fully automated, series-capable production process that was also efficient and low-emission. ExOne, in cooperation with Loramendi, provided its binder jetting technology and the development of the S-1300-X 3D printer to address this.

ExOne and Loramendi implemented the first fully automated Industrialized Core Printing (ICP) production line, which integrates five ExOne S-1300-X 3D printers operating in parallel with downstream automation for curing, unpacking, and cleaning. The solution uses an inorganic binder for emission-free casting and fully recycles unbound sand. Since 2023, the system at BMW's Landshut plant has been in continuous operation, reliably producing several thousand cores per week. This has established a new industrial standard for high-volume, tool-free additive manufacturing in serial production.

BMW Group