3D Printing for Automotive
Unlocking New Design Freedom and Accelerating Automotive Development
The automotive industry is undergoing one of its biggest transformations since the invention of the motorized vehicle. Electrification, lightweight construction, new mobility concepts, and rising sustainability requirements demand innovative ways to design and manufacture vehicle components. When traditional methods reach their limits, additive manufacturing (AM) offers decisive advantages. With EOS industrial 3D printing, automotive manufacturers and suppliers gain new design freedom, improved part performance, and faster development cycles – from prototyping to series production.
Automotive Production With EOS 3D Printing Solutions
With EOS 3D printing, automotive manufacturers and suppliers unlock new design freedoms, optimize part performance, and accelerate development. Our solutions enable high-quality prototypes and series-ready components - trusted by leading brands in vehicle manufacturing, e-mobility, and motorsports.
Advantages of 3D Printing in the Automotive Sector
Our Expertise Supporting the Automotive Industry
Series Customizing
More and more customers seek personalization. Series customizing enables the creation of high-quality details such as decorative interior and exterior elements.
Tooling
Rising cost pressures sharpen the focus on tooling. AM provides advantages in part quality, functional integration, production speed, and tool stability.
Sustainability
Sustainability has become a key purchasing factor. This includes e-mobility, improved engine efficiency, extended vehicle lifespan, and reliable spare parts availability.
Production Process
As competition grows, digitalization and new mobility models require modernized production processes. Additive manufacturing enables flexible, future-ready manufacturing operations.
EOS Projects From Practice
AM for the Series Production of Vehicles
For automotive manufacturers and suppliers, additive manufacturing is far more than rapid prototyping. From spare parts on demand to series customizing and automated 3D production cells, AM offers unmatched flexibility, innovation potential, and cost-efficiency.
The Potential of Additive Manufacturing for Serially Produced Vehicles
Additive manufacturing opens up new opportunities across the automotive value chain by enabling greater flexibility, higher efficiency, and improved part performance. It allows manufacturers to rethink production processes and respond faster to changing market demands. AM supports:
- Major logistics optimizations
- Customized equipment
- Lightweight structures
- Thermal and performance improvements
3D Printing Applications in the Automotive Industry
MINI
MINI demonstrates how industrial 3D printing enables personalized design at scale. With the EOS P 396 and PA 1101, customized cockpit trims and indicator inlays are produced with high-quality material properties.
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High design freedom
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Fast delivery within weeks
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OEM-grade part quality and safety
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Scalable system for series production
Ford
Ford uses EOS 3D printing to combine high security with personalized design. Together with Additive Minds, Ford created custom 3D-printed wheel locks featuring unique geometries that prevent unauthorized wheel removal. Using Trinckle’s configurator, each lock is tailored to the car owner. A recorded voice pattern is transformed into a unique geometry and 3D-printed as a matching lock-and-key system - ensuring maximum protection and true customization.
PSA – Spartacus3D
For the DS 3 Dark Side Edition, Spartacus3D partnered with EOS to produce a titanium trim strip with exceptional speed, quality, and cost efficiency using the EOS M 290 and EOS Titanium Ti64.
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Build time under one hour
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Up to 200 parts per job
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High precision without distortion
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Complex titanium mesh meeting all OEM requirements
Automotive Tech Lies in the Details
Improving the efficiency of modern drive systems is more crucial than ever. Higher engine efficiency reduces resource consumption, while optimized temperature management impacts performance and lifespan. Additive manufacturing enables highly complex geometries, functional structures, and integrated channels—unlocking capabilities beyond conventional manufacturing.
- Optimized Temperature Management: High-performance cooling elements and heat exchangers with improved flow, reduced hotspots, and enhanced system durability.
- Spare Parts on Demand: Cost-efficient, flexible production ideal for series models, special editions, and aftermarket support.
- Tooling & Prototyping: Lightweight, durable, functionally optimized tools accelerate development and streamline production.
3D Printed Heat Exchanger
Conflux Technology
Highly efficient, compact heat exchanger design that derives its performance from a geometry that can only be made using additive manufacturing (AM).
AM Sustainable Spare Parts
EvoBus GmbH
Comprehensive consulting to help efficiently enter the world of additive manufacturing and establish a sustainable spare parts management system
Conformal Cooling with AM
Innomia
Accelerate production and reduce maintenance: Innomia uses EOS metal 3D printer for optimizing manufacturing process for automotive components.
Tooling and Mold-Making
In tire manufacturing, additive manufacturing reveals its full potential - especially in the production of tire segments. Complex features such as snipes, which form the foundation of the tread pattern, can be produced with exceptional precision. Metal 3D printing enables mold components that would be difficult or even impossible to achieve with conventional manufacturing methods.
