More than prototypes: how 3D printing is transforming the automotive industry

The automotive sector is one of the most demanding in manufacturing,requiring large batches, high quality, and constant product updates—especiallywith the electrification of vehicles. In this context, additive manufacturingpresents itself as a solution to multiple challenges. While prototyping isstill the main beneficiary of 3D printing technologies, Additive Manufacturingis carving out a significant role in serial production of parts. A major pushin this direction has come from technopolymers, as confirmed by Andrea Boscolo,Chief Product Officer at MadeinAdd.

“Today we can easily print parts in PEEK or in PA6 and PA12polyamide filled with glass or carbon fiber, achieving components with strengthcomparable to metal equivalents but significantly lighter. In pre-production,this also means we can deliver variants within hours instead of weeks! Thesetechnopolymers are difficult to machine with traditional CNC systems and leadto considerable waste, whereas 3D printing eliminates the issue entirely. Andthis is not a compromise—these components are successfully used inhigh-performance engines, including in the racing world. The same applies tometals: Additive Manufacturing has opened up new possibilities, especially withtitanium, which is notoriously hard to process with traditional methods.”

Another interesting application is logistics. “Automotive OEMs facevery high costs due to the need to maintain spare parts stock. With 3Dprinting, we can minimize inventory and enable print-on-demand services. Notonly can we produce a part when it’s needed, but also where it’s needed. Withglobal sustainability deadlines, this has a huge impact.”

Technological trends and new materials

So what are the most promising trends in this ever-evolving sector?“In terms of materials for additive manufacturing in automotive, aluminum isleading the trend, followed by steels—stainless or nickel-based. Thesematerials cover a wide range of critical and functional mechanical componentsin both engines and vehicles. Then there are reinforced plastics with glass andcarbon fibers, already widely used in automotive. Lastly, we have aestheticplastics like ABS, which can also be 3D printed using various technologies,”explains Boscolo.

As for technologies, powder bed fusion—both metal and plastic—isgaining traction. Though still maturing, it already enables the production offunctional parts and is being used in motor applications, where high stress,temperatures, and fluid resistance are major challenges. Resin-basedtechnologies like SLA and DLP, traditionally used for aesthetic prototypes, arenow being explored for impact-resistant components in pre-production, withpotential for series production as well.

A challenge to overcome: quantity

What are the current limitations? Boscolo is clear: “Volume remainsan issue. When you need 20,000, 50,000, or even 100,000 parts per year,Additive is not yet cost-effective or time-efficient. The challenge is to helpAdditive scale faster—both by improving hardware and by educating engineers todesign for Additive instead of retrofitting old geometries, which just doesn’twork.”

This highlights the need for widespread training and culturaladaptation, especially among smaller, localized businesses that still lacktechnical familiarity with AM—a common situation in Italy. “We always try toput ourselves in the user’s shoes and clearly compare traditional versusAdditive solutions in terms of performance and cost,” adds Boscolo. “Italy wasone of the first countries to develop deep know-how in Additive Manufacturing,and together with Germany leads the way in process, production, and machineexpertise. Now is the time to transfer that know-how to potential clients—bethey small businesses or large OEMs.”

From plastic ducts to hydrogen engine manifolds

There is no shortage of success stories. One example is a Tier 1supplier that needed a fast solution during pre-production of plastic airsystem ducts for a major customer. Time constraints didn’t allow for thecreation of injection molds, so the MadeinAdd team printed the parts in 3Dusing the same material, enabling the client to move forward with functionaltesting—cutting delivery time in half and reducing costs by 15%.

Another notable case is Dumarey, a MadeinAdd shareholder, whichdeveloped an intake manifold for a hydrogen engine by integrating twocomponents into one. This reduced costs and brought material porosity down fromthe typical 7–9% in casting to under 1% with Additive. Since hydrogen moleculesinfiltrate even the smallest gaps, this was a major advantage for the endcustomer, who commissioned a small series for production. Much of theengineering know-how from this process has been transferred to MadeinAdd, whichnow makes it available to its clients.

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Read the article in its original Italian excerpt published in the March 2025 issue of Automazione News: link.

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