Audi and EOS development partnership has reached a new milestone: Audi has moved entirely to additive manufacturing for selected tool segments for hot forming at its Metal 3D Printing Centre – conventional production methods are no longer used in these cases. The premium manufacturer leverages the EOS M 400 system for 3D printing.

AUDI AG, is relying entirely on industrial 3D printing at its Metal 3D Printing Centre in Ingolstadt for the production of selected tool segments. Additive manufacturing (AM) with EOS technology is used for 12 segments of four tools for hot forming. Plans call for significantly more segments to be printed this way. Audi uses the tool segments produced using the EOS M 400 system in its press shop to make body panels for models including the Audi A4. The company plans to do the same for future electric vehicles.

Shifting part of its tool segment production activities from conventional manufacturing to AM is an important step, highlighting both the quality and reliability of industrial 3D printing and the design freedom advantages this production method offers. This is the latest outcome of the longstanding cooperative relationship between Audi and EOS in Ingolstadt. EOS provided support in the form of technology and know-how before and during the construction of Audi’s 3D printing centre back in 2016. Since then, experts from both companies have been making steady progress on the use of AM, and Audi has established an ideal application in the area of hot forming for series vehicles. Several hundred thousand parts have already been produced using the 3D printed tools and installed in selected models.