BMW has had an aniversary, It has fitted its 500th 3D printed aluminum alloy water pump wheel in the German Touring Car Masters. The high-precision component, which is subject to high stresses and has previously proven its worth in the tough environment of motorsports: Without exception, all pump gear works flawlessly, confirming BMW’s leading role when it comes to additive production methods.
3D printing as a production method has turned out to be the ideal procedure for the small batch. Firstly, it allows for the inclusion of design refinements in the six-bladed centrifugal pump wheel, whose implementation would require much greater effort with other production methods. With the new method, it was possible to achieve ideal aerodynamics of the component for the DTM race series. Secondly, no complex tools or molds are needed, which makes the demand-oriented production more cost-effective. On top of that, 3D printing ensures the dimensional accuracy of the water pump wheel over the entire production time. BMW applies the homologated high-precision part both in the DTM racecars and in the Z4 GT3 customer vehicles