Side frame assembly and adhesive technology. Driver-less transportation system. Contact-less measuring operations on the body shell. Welding robots in body construction.

Paint shop In plant technology, the new paint shop relies on the tried-and tested IPP Technology (Integrated Paint Process) of the BMW production network. In contrast to conventional painting processes, applying and drying the filler coat is omitted here. Instead two base-coats are applied wet-on-wet. By omitting the entire filler layer, a significant reduction in the consumption of resources is achieved. Natural gas consumption and CO2 emissions are reduced by half and electricity consumption by more than a quarter (27 %). Another contribution to the Clean Production strategy is the introduction of the innovative dry separation, which manages completely without water, chemicals and other additives. In addition, the emitted exhaust air is reduced by two thirds by applying innovative air circulation technologies.

Fully automated surface quality control Intelligent test systems perfect the appearance of the painted car bodies, making sure customers receive the highest quality. For the first time, the BMW Group will use fully automated quality control mechanisms in one of the company’s paint shops. In doing so, robots scan the entire exterior surface of the vehicle. The system is even able to detect errors that are not perceptible to the human eye. Data gathered this way also gives valuable insights into the precision of previous paint processes. These can be continuously optimized by identifying causes of error and avoiding rework. The system is a textbook example of applied digitalization in the BMW Production System (Big Data Analyses). Paint shop, manual quality control at the end.

Body plug assembly using robot arms with sensor control. Automatic engraving of the vehicle identification number. Tilt assembly. Marriage of engine and body. Scenes from the assembly line. Quality control front seats. Installation of kidney grille and headlights. Front end assembly. Exit of the completed BMW 3 series model.

Filling up with operating resources. Mounting of the BMW logo and lettering on the rear. Test stand, chassis and lighting. Dynamometer. Adjustment of the welcome light carpet. Final surface control.

“The plant now located behind me is able to take care of something we haven’t been able to do before...”

“In our new paint shop in Munich, we are the first to employ a fully automated surface quality control system…”

Installation of high-voltage accumulator; mounting of the 330e logo; open bonnet; vehicle rolls off the assembly line