Weiden-based BAM GmbH uses HP Jet Fusion technology to produce workpiece carriers which are used throughout the entire production process. From automated robot handling in the production machine to the dispatch of the final product - the device head, which is manufactured for a well-known customer in the apparatus engineering sector, is accompanied throughout the entire process by the carrier solution developed in-house.
Since its foundation in 2011, the company from the Upper Palatinate has combined precision manufacturing, special machine construction and digital services under one roof. In addition to prototype and series production of metal and plastic components, the company designs, produces and sells automation solutions as well as mechanical and mechatronic assemblies. Components and mechanical engineering solutions from BAM are mainly used in medical technology, mechanical and plant engineering, chemistry, the electronics industry and sensor technology.
With the on-demand manufacturing platform mipart.com, BAM GmbH also digitalises production. Customers can order and configure individual components online with just a few mouse clicks. To do this, users simply upload their design as a CAD model on the online platform and calculate the price for the desired component in real time. "We offer our customers a completely AI-based, automated value-added process for ordering individual components - and that already from batch size 1," says Bauer. Just a few weeks ago, BAM GmbH won the "young enterprises SPEED PITCH" with "mipart" at the HANNOVER MESSE Digital Days.
Part of BAM's modern machine park is the HP Jet Fusion 4210 3D printing solution, which is used in the production of workpiece carriers. With a construction speed of up to 4,500 cubic centimetres per hour and low material costs, the HP Jet Fusion 4210 is particularly suitable for efficient small series production and industrial prototype construction.
BAM uses the process primarily for the production of workpiece carriers. The requirements are enormous: minimum dead weight with maximum load on the carriers. In order to achieve this, the carriers are topologically optimised already in the planning process. The resulting shapes can be easily produced using 3D printing despite complex geometry. A further requirement for the beams is the possibility of automatic loading. This is done in the production process using robot grippers. An integrated honeycomb structure also ensures fast and complete water drainage, as many of the parts are washed in the carrier during the process.
"The components for which we mainly need the carriers are made of forged blanks. These are inserted into workpiece carriers and the production machine is automatically loaded with these carriers. After completion on the machine, a robot places the components in the workpiece carriers, which are then washed including the workpiece carriers", says Marco Bauer, Managing Director of BAM GmbH. In addition, the carriers can also be used for transport to and from surface treatment. After a further production step and renewed washing, the components are finally delivered with the workpiece carriers in boxes.
A significant advantage is the cost optimisation through the use of HP's Multijet Fusion Technology. "We can optimise productivity and also benefit from the time saved. Compared to wire racks, the carriers are identical in price, but with the production of the workpiece carriers on the HP Jet Fusion 4210, we are much more flexible. This means that the carriers can be reproduced quickly and easily on site if required," emphasises Josef Wittmann, divisional manager of production, BAM GmbH.
