When the new Audi E-Tron GT was unveiled, Audi Sport's Böllinger Höfe production facility in Heilbronn, Germany, had to quickly acquire almost 200 new tools, templates and fixtures for production. Designing these tools is usually time-consuming, while outsourcing can take weeks or months. Here, design automation and 3D printing provided an unparalleled workflow for Audi Sport.
The Audi Sport Böllinger Höfe factory is a high-end production facility for automobiles. The production focus is on the high-performance Audi R8 and the fully electric Audi E-Tron GT . These cars represent the top of the range of the renowned German manufacturer. The assembly line exudes German efficiency: the basic chassis come on robotic platforms and are mounted on the top rail. This line of exclusive cars passes through multiple stations, where order-specific parts are installed. It's hard to see two identical cars side by side, which makes the whole operation even more impressive.
Each station has a limited amount of time to install parts, making an optimized and efficient workflow crucial for mechanics. Custom tools, jigs and fixtures play a huge role in making work faster and easier, as well as improving ergonomics for workers.
"We produce almost eight hundred tools, templates and holders for our factory," said Cem Guelaylar , 3D printing expert at Audi Sport.
"Outsourcing these parts takes more than two, three, four weeks, or even months, depending on the supplier and the process. 3D printing allows us to get these tools in a very short time. Workers come up to us and say, 'I need a bracket to mount a car. It takes a day to get that tool in their hands.'"
Different tools for different applications
There are custom tools to help align parts during installation. For example, when installing the roof or logo markings on the exterior of the car. These tools increase the consistency and quality of final vehicles while saving minutes per car. Quality control tools ensure that all cars meet Audi's highest standards. Custom templates are mounted on car parts to measure alignment and tolerances. For example, Audi Sport has created a special template for calibrating the head-up display (HUD) on the dashboard. The template uses two lasers that project onto the HUD. When the lasers line up, it means the reflective glass is properly positioned.
Many parts must be pre-assembled before they can be installed on cars. These include pipes that add to the central fluid board, cables and heatsinks for the central control unit, and more. Working on these parts, while simply laid out on the workbench, can be very awkward. This is where the numerous mounts that Audi Sport uses at the factory come into play. These holders hold the parts in place, allowing for easier and faster assembly. Not only do they save hours of work, but they significantly affect the consistency of production. Many of these holders are also designed to improve ergonomics for workers, for example by holding tools at a better angle for work.
Designing parts in minutes instead of hours
When the new E-Tron GT was introduced, there was a great need to create almost 200 different tools, templates and holders, all in a short time frame so that production could begin. Designing these tools takes a lot of time and expertise – they must be precise, easy to use and easy to manufacture. Trinckle's Fixturemate software played a key role here. Fixturemate is specialized software for creating fixture templates. The parts are imported and placed at the proper angle, then the base plate, support places and holes for mounting on the workbench are added. The software also offers a library of ready-made tools, such as clamps. Fixturemate is so easy to use that anyone can use it. While traditional CAD software takes hours to design, Fixturemate only takes 10-20 minutes .
"We started the production of the Audi E-Tron GT all-electric car here," explained Cem Guelaylar.
"We needed almost two hundred templates and tools for this new car. Fixturemate allowed us to create them in no time. We import our parts into Fixturemate and get the template from the software in minutes. In a classic build, it usually takes us two, three or four hours, depending on the size of the part. Fixturemate is very easy to use. We can train apprentices to use the software, and they can work with it immediately and create templates in no time."
Advantages of 3D printing in Audi Sport
Audi Sport had to not only design the parts quickly, but also to produce them in a very short time. Outsourcing tool manufacturing is expensive and can take weeks or months. That's why Audi launched a 3D printing room. Several printers, such as the Ultimaker S5 , allow Audi Sport to produce all the necessary tools in-house.
Tools can now be printed in a day, at a fraction of the cost. There is no need to request quotes, hire suppliers and wait for parts to be manufactured and delivered. When a part does not meet the requirements, it can be immediately upgraded and reprinted.
The right material for the right job
Most of the holders in the Audi Sport are printed using Tough PLA . This material has similar flexibility and strength properties to ABS, but is much easier to print, without the challenges that ABS brings. Also, tools to protect car parts are printed using TPU95a . This soft material is ideal for preventing damage to parts.
Thanks to the UltiMaker ecosystem, Audi Sport has access to hundreds of third-party materials. These materials often have very specific properties. One of them is ESD-safe PLA , which is used for holders that come into contact with electronic components. Preparing to 3D print with these materials is easy with Ultimaker Cura software, where print profiles are freely available on the platform.
"We use Tough PLA because it is cheap and easy to use. We use TPU mainly to protect car parts. We also use ESD safe materials and sometimes ABS or PETG," added Cem Guelaylar.
"3D printing is a very fast and useful solution for us in the factory."
Audi Sport excels in constantly improving efficiency. By introducing 3D printing for the production of tools, they reduced production costs by more than 80% , while delivering tools to workers within a day instead of several weeks. In addition, thanks to Fixturemate software, designing patterns has become fast and easy. No specialized CAD designer required; anyone can create the necessary tools and start taking advantage of this system right away.