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Let’s stroll through the Volkswagen Academy in Emden, Germany, where they’re giving automotive education a tech upgrade.
In the automotive sector, academies are essential training grounds that prepare future employees for the many challenges of the business. Each automotive company has its own approach and set of skills.
The Volkswagen Academy in Emden is often the first step to a career within the Volkswagen Group. Emden is a place where they value hands-on learning with a modern twist. Original Prusa 3D Printers for prototyping and proof-of concept, training, challenges, smart ideas, and even tool manufacturing. All of this is based on an autonomous 3D printing farm with a robot collector!
Future VW designers, mechanics, electricians, technologists – trainees from various disciplines engage in challenging hands-on learning, with 3D printing becoming an integral part of their skill development.
Change is at the heart of everything
Emden is located in the northwest of Germany. The facility plays a major role in the Volkswagen group: It’s a huge industrial complex – covering 4.3 million square meters with more than 8,000 employees inside. In 2022 it will have contributed to the manufacturing of approximately 146,000 cars, bringing its total since 1964 to more than 12 million. Whenever you see a Passat or an Arteon – it was made there!
The facility is also a flagship of VW’s ACCELERATE strategy – shifting towards electromobility and more environmentally friendly vehicle production. Volkswagen invested approximately 1 billion Euros in the Emden plant to make it the most advanced automotive factory in the world. Emden is producing the electric model ID.4.
What do they print?
3D printing has become ubiquitous. Production line models and teaching tools, including jigs for holding and covering, holders, and covers – utilizing and experimenting with materials from basic PETG to advanced options like PC-CF and flexible materials.
Trainees at Emden’s Volkswagen Academy engage in daily tasks, using 3D printers as the main go-to tool. This results in over 1900 hours of printing every week. Mentors help the entire process, from design to printing. They create an environment that encourages creativity. The mentor will create tasks for training and then receive orders from other departments. During our visit we saw one such order aimed at improving the manufacturing process.
Rieke ubben was tasked with creating a auxiliary Labelling model:She created a template that perfectly copies the lines of the ID.4 and can be mounted right at power cord cover. She created a template which perfectly copies the ID.4’s lines and can be mounted directly on the power cord cover.
She designed the template with magnets for mounting. She also considered paint protection when designing the template, and included an option to place fabric between the plastic and car. Sven Groth who ordered this model was very satisfied with the outcome.
Another interesting example was showcased in the main workshop by Sebastian Hartung, a future industrial mechanic – responding to a challenge directly from the assembly lines, the trainees tackled the inconvenience caused by an unwieldy tailgate screwdriver. With 3D printing, they crafted a customized handle using nylon, significantly improving the tool’s usability in production.
“What I love about 3D printing is that there are so many possibilities. You can just let your creativity go wild,”Sebastian Hartung reveals his professional journey. “At first, I learned traditional milling and drilling, now I’m stationed at the 3D printing farm and learning the additive manufacturing process. And it’s been mindblowing,”Sebastian Share.
He had no prior experience with 3D printers. Mentors gave trainees access to online courses on 3D printing, model slicing and other basics. Prusa Academy. The courses were praised for their clear instructions and the wealth of information and tips they provided. The models are created using CATIA V5, VW’s main design software.
“Thanks to 3D printing, my mindset has completely changed and now I see my opportunities expanded. This will help me in my professional future!”Sebastian Hartung smiles.
Emden continues to see more 3D printing projects every day.
Test the Original Prusa XL
The Volkswagen Academy Emden has participated in the external testing of our Original Prusa XL. The XL exceeded expectations with its ability to handle demanding prints. PC-CF filament is used to make large models., resulting an incredibly flat surface. Sebastian and his fellow trainees praise the XL’s automated features, such as the always-perfect first layer that ensures consistently high-quality prints. They also print large models in TPU – functional partsAll kinds of products. Often with a clever design so they don’t have to use supports. Again, the XL’s print quality is exceptional.
Volkswagen Academy has added three Original Prusa XLs to its lineup as of the end 2023.
The 3D Printing Farm
All began in 2015, with just one 3D Printer. Fast forward to today, where there are 34 3D printers, arranged on a custom metal rack. Connected, remote controlled and featuring a Robot arm for collecting and adding print sheetsThis setup is never idle. This setup is maintained by a team consisting of up to four trainees. Their tasks include changing filaments and adding new plates.
Over in the other part of the workshop, another 24 printers are at work, each with a small but clever tweak—an additional printed part on the extruder that acts like a plow, raking completed prints into a collecting box—a simple, yet convenient solution.
Training for the Future
All the challenges and 3D printing are not just exercises, there’s something bigger here: They’re tools to inspire a creative mindset in trainees. Herbert Kretzmer is the Lead Trainer and he believes in what he calls “future-proof training.” It’s not about controlling specific machines or mastering routines; it’s about preparing trainees for anything that comes their way.
In Herbert’s words, It’s about teaching them a system based on the ADAS standard, the kind you’d find in any automotive factory but also with a deep understanding of additive manufacturing processes and the ability to suggest process improvements. This approach is centered around 3D printing.
“We have identified 3D printing technology as an important factor of the future-proof training,” says Herbert. The VW Academy core idea is a perfect fit for this, as it turns out.
“You have to always look forward to new developments and ideas.”
How do you train your future team?
‘ Credit:
Original content by blog.prusa3d.com: “Volkswagen Academy – Future-proof Training with 3D Printing”
Read the complete article at https://blog.prusa3d.com/volkswagen-academy-future-proof-training-with-3d-printing_87272/