You're out in the middle of the desert, touring your motorcycle, and you crash, breaking the crankcase cover and gearshift lever. The nearest repair shop is hundreds of miles away, and the sun will soon be setting. No problem, just print the parts and mount them on the bike to continue your journey.
BMW Innovation
The German company has just unveiled its new 3D spare parts printing system called iParts, through which dealers and customers alike will be able to print their own spare parts from anywhere. Dealers will have access to large, high-performance 3D printers capable of printing any requested spare part in real time. Customers who need it will be able to add a portable 3D printer to the motorcycle's trunk, so they can easily get around when they need a broken or worn part during a trip.
All in the cloud
The printer directly downloads the print files for each part from BMW iCloud, the dedicated server. If we're traveling to the Amazon rainforest, the North Pole, or any other location without coverage, we can download the BMW iParts Explorer program in advance with all the parts for our motorcycle model.
Metal and plastic alloys
The technology used by the printers is SLS, or Selective Laser Sintering, similar to that used by Formula 1 development teams and which allows for the manufacture of parts from various metal alloys (aluminum, steel, titanium, etc.) and plastics. It's even possible to print a replacement rearview mirror!
Technological disruption
This new development is another example of the changes the automotive industry has been undergoing in recent years, thanks to the application of innovative technologies that will forever and radically change the rules of the game as we knew them, creating a new world of possibilities and new ways of doing things.
Frank Burguera
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