Traditional manufacturing has long dictated the boundaries of automotive design, favoring symmetry, uniformity, and production-friendly shapes that could be formed by traditional manufacturing equipment. Additive manufacturing (AM), however, changes what is possible. Instead of being limited by conventional tooling, engineers can use AM to design parts with complicated shapes and features. A process that once took weeks in prototyping can move more quickly to production.
Today, automakers are using AM in four main ways:
- Expanding design freedom
- Accelerating product development
- Creating lightweight, high-performance components
- Enabling digital inventory and decentralized production
And it is already starting to shape the future. BMW is set to produce over a million 3D-printed parts, and Ford is integrating AM into its workflows. The automotive industry is evolving, and it’s happening one layer at a time.
Fast Prototyping & Smart Development
Speed is almost everything when it comes to automotive innovation. AM accelerates the design-validation loop by letting engineers quickly iterate, print, and test parts without waiting on traditional tooling. As soon as a part finishes printing, they can have it in hand and ready to test.
Ford has invested heavily in AM, building a new 3D printing center to support the production of engine components and ergonomic tools. These functional, real-world parts improve worker safety and speed assembly. Rapid prototyping with AM lets engineers verify fit, form, and function early, cutting development timelines and reducing tooling costs. Ford’s employees can even request or propose new parts when needed.
Whether refining air duct geometries, creating housing for electronics, or validating bracket tolerances, engineering teams use AM to move from computer-aided design (CAD) to concept much faster.
Design Freedom
AM helps automotive engineers avoid the constraints of traditional machining. Unlike subtractive processes (i.e., removing materials from solid blocks), which often require uniform geometries for manufacturability, AM supports intricate lattice structures, internal channels, and complex organic shapes as they are built up by layers.
This design freedom leads to lighter and smarter parts. Engineers can tailor geometry to achieve specific performance goals, such as strength-to-weight optimization or integrated thermal management, without being limited by tool access or cutting angles. Engineers can easily implement and adapt design changes, even late in the development cycle, allowing rapid iteration of parts on the fly.
CAD tools accelerate development and help support traceability, compliance, and collaboration across the automotive supply chain. Engineers can run crash simulations and test thermal behavior early in the process. Once the part is validated, it’s ready to send straight to the printer, with no tooling required.
Preparing Parts for AM
Before a layer is printed, everything starts in CAD. Engineers use CAD software to model, test, and refine parts (Figure 1). Many available tools, such as PTC Creo, Siemens NX, and CATIA, allow for complex surface modeling, parametric control, and simulation of stress, airflow, or thermal performance, which are crucial for high-performance automotive applications. For smaller teams and more rapid development cycles, Autodesk Fusion 360 offers integrated generative design and simulation features.
Once a part is ready for testing, slicing tools prepare it for printing. These applications translate CAD models into layer-by-layer instructions, managing everything from support structures to exposure parameters. Industrial tools like Autodesk Fusion with Netfabb are designed to help with part repair, nesting, and build simulations to reduce failures and improve throughput. EOSPRINT is used with metal AM systems to fine-tune parts, while Siemens NX AM integrates slicing directly into the CAD workflow.
These tools help ensure repeatability, quality, and material efficiency, especially for functional prototypes or end-use parts.
Lighter Components and Better Performance
Weight is the enemy of efficiency, especially for electric vehicles. AM helps solve this challenge by changing what materials are used and how.
Rather than simply swapping steel for aluminum, AM enables structural rethinking. For example, brackets printed using laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) can reduce weight by up to 40 percent while maintaining mechanical strength.[3] These lightweight parts are ideal for brackets, mounts, housings, and other load-bearing applications.
Materials like AlSi10Mg, Ti64, PA12, and ULTEM give engineers many options for thermal insulation, electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding, and heat resistance.
- AlSi10Mg, a lightweight aluminum alloy with good thermal properties. It is made of approximately 90 percent aluminum (Al), 10 percent silicon (Si), and 0.3–0.5 percent magnesium (Mg).
- Ti64, a titanium (Ti) alloy prized for its strength-to-weight ratio. It is made of 90 percent Ti, 6 percent Al, and 4 percent vanadium (V).
- PA12, a polymer made of polyamide (nylon) that exhibits excellent mechanical stability. The 12 indicates the number of carbon atoms in the polymer’s repeating unit (12-carbon monomer chain), giving it unique flexibility and low water absorption compared to other nylons like PA6 or PA66.
- Polyetherimide (PEI, also known by the brand name ULTEM), a high-performance thermoplastic with excellent heat and chemical resistance. It is designed to withstand continuous use temperatures up to 170–200°C (338–392°F), so it is ideal for under-hood applications or high-voltage components.
But geometry is just as important as material. This combination of material science and structural design allows engineers to create the needed lighter, smarter parts.
Digital Inventory and Supply Chains
AM is not just changing how parts are made; it is also transforming how they are stocked.
Instead of maintaining massive amounts of physical inventory, the automakers can move toward digital warehousing. Rare or obsolete parts can now be stored as 3D models and printed on demand. This will drastically cut lead times and warehousing costs, as all they need to do is print the part as needed.
Mercedes-Benz and some other manufacturers are already using AM to keep classic cars on the road by printing rare components that would be otherwise unavailable.[5] Now that 3D printers can handle more durable materials, even many car enthusiasts have begun recreating obsolete parts and custom parts for cars and motorcycles.
AM is starting to fit into the same digital systems that manage factories. Connecting with machine execution systems (MES) and enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems, printed components can be embedded with QR codes or serial numbers, making them easier to track.
This digital integration helps manufacturers monitor inventory in real time, trace when and where a part was made, and plan maintenance before a failure happens. When a part gets replaced, its full history can stay with the vehicle.
Overcoming Barriers to Adoption
Despite AM’s potential, it faces some technical and operational challenges. These include porosity in metal prints, surface roughness, and a lack of industry-standard specifications. Dimensional accuracy, especially on sealing surfaces, remains a critical issue.
Solutions are emerging as the industry pushes forward. Post-processing automation, inline vision inspection systems, and thermal treatments improve part quality and consistency. Standards from organizations like SAE International and ISO/ASTM are helping align expectations across the industry.
BMW’s Additive Manufacturing Campus is a prime example of the evolution in the industry that brings together design, research, and production under one roof to improve scalability.
Functional integration is also on the rise. Engineers are embedding fluid channels, antennas, and sensors directly into metal 3D prints, reducing part count and increasing reliability.
Hybrid printing (i.e., combining computer numerical control (CNC) machining and AM) and artificial intelligence (AI)-driven quality inspection are being explored. Companies like Divergent are blending generative design, robotics, and 3D printing to rethink how cars are built from the chassis up.[9]
An Alternative View: Printing Whole Cars
While most automakers use AM for specific parts or processes, others are exploring how it could create the entire vehicle.
For example, Slate Automotive is leveraging open-source 3D printing to offer customizable electric trucks, already garnering over 100,000 refundable reservations. Users can download STL files to modify truck parts like grilles, light covers, or dash mounts to personalize their vehicles.[10]
The vehicle as a platform model could signal a shift toward modular, community-driven car development, where users can play a role in how form and function evolve in real time.
It will also challenge the traditional supply chain by enabling localized production, where consumers, mechanics, or small shops could print replacement parts or custom features on demand. This would reduce the overall time spent on repairs and customization. As software-defined vehicles become more common, AM could offer the physical complement: user-defined hardware.
Conclusion
AM is no longer just a tool for tinkering in R&D labs. It’s on its way to becoming fundamental to modern automotive engineering, shaping how vehicles are designed, validated, produced, and even serviced.
As material capabilities improve and intelligent automation scales up, AM is poised to take its place on the main assembly line. For engineers, that means more flexibility, faster results, and the freedom to build better cars, one layer at a time. This evolution could have an impact as big as Ford’s Model T production line has had on the industry.
Bryan DeLuca is a seasoned electronics content creator with a deep passion for demystifying complex engineering concepts. Through years of hands-on experience, he has built a reputation for translating advanced electronics topics into practical, engaging content for engineers, hobbyists, and makers. Bryan produces technical articles and videos that focus on components, power electronics, additive manufacturing, and the integration of microcontrollers, LEDs, and sensors.
