Additive manufacturing (AM) is becoming increasingly important in the automotive and supplier industry. This innovative manufacturing technology is the focus of the new cooperation between Pankl AG and AVL List GmbH. Pankl, the specialist for engine and drivetrain systems as well as chassis parts for racing, high-performance cars, and the aerospace industry, and AVL, one of the world’s leading mobility technology companies for development, simulation and testing in the automotive industry, and in other sectors, are working together on the research and development of new AM solutions and are jointly striving to make the technology commercially viable.

In contrast to conventional production technologies, additive manufacturing - also known as 3D printing - involves building up components layer by layer. Above all, flexibility, production speed and design freedom are probably the most significant advantages of this manufacturing technology, which is also becoming increasingly popular in the automotive sector.

AM also has great potential in industrial use, which Pankl and AVL would like to exploit even better together in the future.In addition to the rapid and transparent implementation and procurement of AM components, the cooperation primarily aims at transferring knowledge between the companies. Through joint R&D projects, the existing AM know-how, including design for additive manufacturing, is to be further developed and expanded on both sides. The goal of this is the rapid production and procurement of innovative AM prototypes and series components.Pankl specializes in developing and manufacturing powder materials, application and process engineering, and producing prototypes and small series parts. In the AM area, the company covers a wide range of materials with a particular focus on metals.

The partnership with Pankl also offers AVL the opportunity to map exciting future applications such as copper 3D printing. Several years ago, AVL launched an internal AM initiative to build expertise across the entire value chain - from technology scouting and research to (pre-)development, production, and customer service. As part of the initiative, AVL has established - beside innovative prototypes and research projects - an in-house AM production facility which reduces component delivery times by up to 80% and is being continuously expanded.Stefan Seidel, CTO Pankl Racing Systems AG:

"In the joint project with AVL List GmbH, we can clearly see the advantages that metallic 3D printing has over conventional manufacturing methods. When you combine the right design with optimized process parameters, additive manufacturing can be used for prototyping and series applications."Mario Brunner, Managing Director Engineering and Technology: "Additive manufacturing allows us to become even faster with special components in prototype construction and thus to further reduce development times. In addition, it opens up new possibilities for applications with low volumes.

To fully exploit the potential, we are continuously training our employees. The cooperation with Pankl in joint projects also offers an excellent platform for this."