By the end of this year, Ford’s first all-electric model in Europe will roll off the assembly line in Cologne. Ford is not only converting its production facilities to support the Cologne Electrification Center, but also making production processes even more efficient and sustainable by promoting digitization and Industry 4.0.

The most recent innovation is the operation of a new 3D printing center. Here, twelve high-tech 3D printers produce a wide variety of plastic and metal parts a few centimeters long and weighing just 30 grams, as well as many more – produced by the center’s largest 3D printer – 2.4 meters long, 1.2 wide meters, height 1 meter, which weigh 15 kg.

“Here we mainly make tools and parts for our production plants,” said Nurah Al-Haj-Mustafa, Ford’s 3D printing engineer. “Each part can be absolutely unique. However, each printed part is identical in quality and properties.” Such components are, for example, gauges for checking dimensions, molds for placing the Ford logo, and in the future also huge gripper structures that will be attached to robots for the construction of the body shell. Parts for pilot vehicles and limited production models can also be printed at the new 3D printing center.

In addition to its flexibility, 3D printing can also save time and money when it comes to small quantities – up to 80% compared to the conventional injection molding process, in which the production of the corresponding mold is very complicated. There is also a sustainability benefit – 3D printing requires significantly less material and the shredded grains can be reused. The Manufacturing and Materials team at Ford’s Research & Innovation Center in Aachen is currently working on a pilot project to recycle grains for 3D printing.

Ford has been implementing the 3D printing process in Cologne for some time. As early as the 1990s, engineers at Merkenich’s development center began 3D printing parts for test vehicles and prototypes. Ford set standards in the field of prosthetics. In 2019, for example, Ford’s Research & Innovation Center managed to produce the largest metal part ever made using 3D printing. It was an aluminum intake manifold for a Ford F-150 engine converted by the late drifting legend Ken Block.

At the Ford plant in Valencia, Spain, there is a dedicated team in the 3D printing lab that has created a catalog of 5,000 printable parts that offer solutions for various stages of the production process. In 2021 alone, the department successfully created a total of 20,000 printed parts, with workers able to request or suggest new parts when needed.

A 3D printing center is already manufacturing parts for the upcoming production of the new electric model

The new and special element of the 3D printing center in Cologne is the networking with the other areas and direct access. Any Ford employee can submit a request through an app, adding the design of the part they want or describing what they need it for.

“We are taking a start-up approach with short processes and little bureaucracy,” said Oliver Färber, who, as engine plant manager, is also responsible for the 3D printing center area. “The parts that the workers request are then specially designed by the 3D printing team and can therefore be produced very quickly.”

For example, a door edge protector has already been created, which is currently being tested on the final assembly line and may be used at other stations in the future. An ergonomically improved airbag deployment aid is also being tested. In fact, 3D printing of components for the future production of the first “made in Cologne” electric model has already begun, with 1,800 bumpers currently being manufactured for the new door transport system. These ensure that the doors are not damaged during transport on the production line.

“I am delighted to have the 3D printing center up and running ahead of the launch of our new electric model,” said Rene Wolf, managing director, Manufacturing, Ford-Werke. “This way we can gain valuable experience and already print thousands of parts.” The most comprehensive transformation process in the history of the company in Cologne is not only about converting production which will now focus on electric models. Ford also wants to promote digitization and Industry 4.0. “The 3D printing center is a good example and is another fundamental element for the factory of the future, our vision for future production at the Cologne Electrification Center,” said Wolf.

The time-lapse video below shows how a base for sheet metal samples is created at Ford’s 3D printing center: