BMW M5 Bumper Development

A car that dreams are made of: the new BMW M5. The finest and at the same time most powerful M5 ever. Bertrandt Neckarsulm was involved right from the start, having been commissioned by BMW M GmbH to develop a bumper system that complements this car’s unique combination of pure driving pleasure and unrivalled performance.

Premium quality in both design and function
At BMW M GmbH, the development of a new vehicle always begins with the aim of producing a vehicle that unites the ultimate in sporting prowess and performance. But such ambitions also make the highest demands on the development process. As the leading competence centre for bumper and front-end development in the southern German region, the Bertrandt office in Neckarsulm was the obvious choice as the partner for BMW M GmbH in this project. For the M5, the high-performance concept meant that different demands in terms of engineering and design had to be taken into consideration compared to the sports package offered as an option in the 5-Series, the development of which was also supported by Bertrandt Neckarsulm. Attention to the finest technical details characterised the work of the engineers in the two development projects. For example, in the M5 this included the air flow guidance integrated into the under floor, which guides the air under the vehicle to the rear, where it flows through the rear bumpers via a large diffuser opening. In the sports package for the 5-Series on the other hand, it was necessary to integrate the ACC distance radar system.
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Bumper development without the bumps
The development work required was defined together with the system suppliers REHAU and BMW M GmbH at simultaneous engineering (SE) meetings every two weeks and was then systematically put in practice in an uncomplicated manner by all partners involved. Once the concept phase had been completed, the individual parts were designed using CAD tools. Even at this early stage, it was important for REHAU to be intensively involved in the process chain in order to utilise the synergies and insights from the series. A vitally important aspect was that all supplierspecific requirements from tool making, assembly, finishing, logistics, etcetera, were included in the development in good time.

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The transformation from CAD model into repetition part: the BMW M5 Bumper (top right and bottom) and the BMW Sports Package (middle).

In order to shorten the development time for this vehicle, it was decided not to build prototype tools but to begin immediately with building the series production tools. The model makers did, however, produce a small number of SLS parts in order to confirm the designs. The components that were produced using the series tools were then able to reveal the strengths and weaknesses of the designs. Knowledge gained from this and from the results of trials and testing was used to definitively optimise the components ready for the series launch. During this phase, only minor modifications to the components were carried out. The main focus was producing fast, uncomplicated and cost-effective solutions in order to allow changes to be carried out at this late stage without high tooling costs.

Additional contracts confirm development work
As an indication of how efficient the cooperation was, Bertrandt Neckarsulm was able to qualify for further development contracts during the course of this project. These included the development of the boot lid cover for the M5 as well as the preparation of quality regulations, configuration drawings and measurement plans for both vehicles. “In my role as Team Leader Exterior at Bertrandt Neckarsulm, I am able to conclude that during this development it once again became obvious that success always depends on the people involved. It is only with highly motivated and committed employees that a project of this type can be completed so successfully.”

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Outlook
At BMW M GmbH, a follow-up project is on the agenda. Thanks to the good results in the M5 and 5-Series Sports Package projects, Bertrandt Neckarsulm was considered in the awarding of development contracts for the vehicle exterior. The entire Bertrandt development team is looking forward to being a partner once again in the new project.


 
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