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Volkswagen is pressing ahead with the use of innovative 3D printers in car production. For the first time, the newest process – known as binder jetting – is being used to manufacture components at the company’s main plant in Wolfsburg, Germany. Whereas conventional 3D printing uses a laser to build a component layer by layer from metallic powder, the binder jetting process uses an adhesive. The resulting metallic component is then heated and shaped. Using the binder jetting component reduces costs and increases productivity – for example, the components weigh only half as much as those made from sheet steel. Volkswagen is currently the only car maker using this 3D printing technology in the production process. “Despite the ongoing challenges of the coronavirus pandemic, we’re continuing to work on innovation,” says Christian Vollmer, member of the Board of Management of the Volkswagen Brand responsible for Production and Logistics. “Together with our partners, we aim to make 3D printing even more efficient in the years ahead and suitable for production-line use.”

Cedrik Neike, member of the Managing Board of Siemens AG and CEO Digital Industries: “We are very proud to support Volkswagen with our innovative 3D printing solutions. Our automation and software solutions are leading in industrial production applications. Using this technology, Volkswagen will be able to develop and produce components faster, more flexibly and using fewer resources.”

To achieve this innovative advance, Volkswagen has invested an amount in the mid-double-digit million euro range over the past five years. In addition, the company has entered into a software partnership with Siemens and expanded its existing collaboration with printer manufacturer HP Inc. With the first full-scale use of binder jetting, they intend to acquire important experience and learn, for example, which components can be produced economically and quickly in the future or how additive manufacturing can support the digital transformation of production at Volkswagen. 

HP is providing the high-tech printers needed and Siemens the special software for additive manufacturing. One key process step that has been worked on jointly by Siemens and VW is optimizing the positioning of components in the build chamber. Known as nesting, this technique makes it possible to produce twice as many parts per print session.

From summer, the three companies intend to establish a joint expert team at the high-tech 3D printing center which opened in Wolfsburg at the end of 2018 and enables the manufacture of complex automotive components using 3D printing. The center also trains employees in the use of these technologies.

By 2025, the aim is to produce up to 100,000 components by 3D printing in Wolfsburg each year. The first components made using the binder jetting process have gone to Osnabrück for certification: components for the A pillar of the T-Roc convertible. These weigh almost 50 percent less than conventional components made from sheet steel. This reduction alone makes the process especially interesting for automotive production applications. Volkswagen has already successfully conducted crash tests on 3D-printed metallic vehicle components. Until now, the production of larger volumes was not cost-effective enough. However, the new technology and the collaboration will now make production-line use economically viable.

More than one million components printed in 25 years

Volkswagen has been using 3D printing for 25 years, starting in Technical Development with the goal of accelerating vehicle development and reducing costs. Today, there are 13 units at the Wolfsburg plant using various printing processes to manufacture both plastic and metal components. Typical examples are plastic components for prototypes such as center consoles, door cladding, instrument panels and bumpers. Printed metal components include intake manifolds, radiators, brackets and support elements. Over the past 25 years, more than one million components have been produced.

Volkswagen’s collaboration with Siemens is part of a comprehensive strategic partnership in the field of digital production platforms. Volkswagen Board of Management member Vollmer: “I’m pleased that we have a strong and innovative partner in Siemens so we can start working on the car production processes of the future. The example of 3D printing shows that this transformation harbors many diverse opportunities for innovation.”

Article source: www.volkswagen-newsroom.com

The first Advisory Board of Volkswagenwerk GmbH was constituted on May 22, 1951 as instructed by the German government. The Advisory Board is seen as the predecessor of the Supervisory Board, which superseded the Advisory Board in August 1953 in accordance with the provisions of the Company Constitution Act adopted in 1952. In Wolfsburg, the appointment of the Advisory Board was welcomed as the “first step towards the normalization of conditions.”

For Volkswagen, the appointment of the Advisory Board was an important step towards democratization and a basic element on its way to becoming a successful international company. Since the start of civilian production of the Volkswagen “Beetle” in December 1945, all the essential foundations had been laid and a competitive company had been created in the space of a few years.

In October 1949, the British Military Government, which had laid the foundation for the continuation of the factory, returned trusteeship to the German government. The company was then administered by the State of Lower Saxony. After competences and basic legal provisions had been defined and the growing economic importance of the Volkswagenwerk GmbH had made this step appropriate, an Advisory Board was established by the Federal Government and the State of Lower Saxony.

Interaction between the parties involved was defined in the decree of May 21, 1951: “The Federal Minister of Finance shall appoint the Chairman of the Advisory Board and the Vice-Chairman by agreement with the Federal Minister of Economic Affairs and in liaison with the Government of the State of Lower Saxony.” The first Chairman of the Advisory Board of Volkswagenwerk GmbH was Heinz M. Oeftering, a senior civil servant who represented the Federal Ministry of Finance. In addition to representatives of the authorities and industry, the Advisory Board also included members of trade unions and the VW field sales and service organization.

The inaugural meeting of the Advisory Board was held in Wolfsburg on May 22, 1951. The first topics on the agenda mainly included everyday business and the opening balance sheet in Deutschmarks required following the currency reform in 1948.

Heinrich Nordhoff, Director General of the Volkswagenwerk GmbH, had great expectations of cooperation with the Advisory Board and concluded his speech as follows: “We are very happy that part of the responsibility has been removed from the shoulders of the Management Board through the formation of this Advisory Board. We are extremely grateful to you for your willingness to provide the company with your valuable advice and support.”

Article source: www.volkswagen-newsroom.com

Volkswagen is participating, with a contribution of US$620 million (about €500 million), in a financing round of its Swedish battery partner Northvolt AB with a total volume of US$2.75 billion. The Group will thus maintain its stake in the company constant at about 20 percent. The funds are to be used for capacity expansion in the fields of production, recycling and research and development. Among other activities, Northvolt intends to expand the capacity of its Northvolt Ett gigafactory in Skellefteå, Northern Sweden from 40 GWh to 60 GWh per year, in order to meet higher demand from customers.

Arno Antlitz, Group Board Member for Finance and IT: “With this investment, we are strengthening our strategic partnership with Northvolt as a supplier of sustainable battery cells which are produced using renewable energy and are comprehensively recyclable.

”Thomas Schmall, Group Board Member for Technology and CEO of Volkswagen Group Components: “Batteries are one of the key success factors in our unprecedented electric offensive. In the major area of green battery cells, we are assuming a pioneering role in Germany and Europe together.

”Volkswagen had already invested about €900 million in Northvolt in June 2019, acquiring about 20 percent of the shares in the company as well as a seat on the Board of Directors. The production of Volkswagen premium cells is to be concentrated at Skellefteå in cooperation with Northvolt. Production of these cells is due to start in 2023 and the annual capacity intended for Volkswagen is to be built up step-by-step to as much as 40 GWh.

The second Volkswagen gigafactory is located in Salzgitter and will produce the standard cell for the volume segment from 2025. It is also expected to reach an annual production volume of up to 40 GWh. Both gigafactories are to be operated using electric power from renewable energy sources.

All in all, Volkswagen expects to commission six cell factories in Europe by 2030 together with its partners with a view to safeguarding the ramp-up of electric vehicle production. After Skellefteå and Salzgitter, possible locations and partners for the next cell factories are already being considered.

Article source: www.volkswagen-newsroom.com

Just in time for the traditional GTI weekend meet on Lake Wörthersee, which is again unable to take place due to COVID-19, Volkswagen is offering a first peek at the new Polo GTI. The compact sports car is based on the new Polo that was recently presented, and will become the premium version of the product line. This GTI model also represents pure dynamism and expressive design – the success factors of the GTI concept. The official world premiere of the new Polo GTI will take place at the end of June 2021.

“Once a GTI, always a GTI” – that’s how fans of the sporty Volkswagen models with the “magic three letters” continually express their loyalty. GTI – pure fascination and excitement. The success story continues, with the new Polo GTI in the starting blocks. Traditionally, it is the sportiest model in the Polo series. With its high-torque front-wheel drive, dynamically tuned sports chassis and expressive design, it really stands out from the crowd. Moreover, it fulfils the promise of exceptional driving dynamics in combination with exceptional everyday usability.

The legendary GTI meet at Wörthersee Lake

The GTI meet can look back on a long history. GTI fans met for the first time in 1982 in the Austrian municipality of Reifnitz/Maria Wörth. Over the years, the event not only attracted car enthusiasts, but also became a true folk festival under the simple but powerful motto “GTI”. Each event lasts four days, from the Wednesday before Ascension Day to the following weekend. For more information about the annual event, see: https://woertherseetreffen.at/.

Article source: www.volkswagen-newsroom.com