MINI Dealers 3D-Printing Custom Accessories
MINI has reached a new level of customization with the addition of MINI Yours Customized. The new offering allows MINI customers to design personalized inlays for the side scuttles, trims for the passenger side in the interior, LED door sills and LED door projectors. Customers looking to take the personalization of their MINI to the next level can select and design the upgrade parts at the new Online Customiser specially developed for the new options.
The individualized products will then be manufactured using innovative production procedures such as 3D printing and laser lettering. The advanced production process permits precise implementation of customer’s wishes. The individually designed products will be delivered within just a few weeks, according to MINI.
The parts have been designed so that they can be integrated in the vehicle by the customer or by the participating MINI dealer or service partner. The customer can do this more than once. This also ensures that if the vehicle is sold later, the individualized components can be exchanged.
MINI fans are able to make a selection between different colors, patterns, surface finishes and icons when designing MINI Yours Customized products. They can also integrate their own texts and their signature into the design.
The designs created by the customer will be transferred in digital form by their MINI dealership to the appropriate production facility after the order process has been completed and the data will be used there directly in the corresponding production system to manufacture the products.
For example, the digitally controlled 3D printer will receive instructions on the basis of the data created in the course of configuration, in order to produce scuttles and trims in precisely the form designed by the customer. All MINI Yours Customized products will be produced at production facilities in Germany.
The 3D printers used in this process are all highly professional production facilities which were precisely configured for this purpose by the BMW Group through strategic partnerships with the companies Hewlett-Packard Inc., Carbon Inc. and EOS.
