Bench Talk

(Source: mari1408/stock.adobe.com)

Automotive engineering has always evolved around a single constraint: the tools available to build the next great idea. For decades, those tools placed hard limits on component geometry, weight, and manufacturability. But additive manufacturing (AM)—layer‑by‑layer production driven entirely by digital design—is lifting those limits. The real magic isn’t just in printing the part itself; it’s in how engineers prepare parts for AM and use advanced materials to deliver lighter, better‑performing components that were impossible to manufacture before.

Major automakers produce thousands of printed components, accelerating vehicle development and preparing for a supply chain that operates digitally rather than physically.^[1] The transition from traditional manufacturing to AM marks one of the industry’s most important evolutions since the introduction of the assembly line. As automakers move toward software‑defined vehicles and electrification, AM is becoming an essential part of the engineering playbook.

All Good Prints Begin with Digital Preparation

Before any metal or polymer hits a build plate, the entire process begins as a digital model. This early stage shapes everything that follows. Engineers start by creating a 3D representation of the part using advanced computer-aided design (CAD) tools, such as PTC Creo, Siemens NX, CATIA, and Autodesk Fusion 360. These powerful engineering platforms simulate airflow, strain, vibration, and thermal conditions long before the first layer is printed. This allows designers to validate critical features for electrical housings, ducting, insulation, or bracketry before fabrication even begins.

Once a part is digitally sound, the slicing process transforms the model into instructions for the printer. Slicing software defines how each layer will form, how supports are added, which angles require reinforcement, and how heat will distribute during printing. Tools like Netfabb, EOSPRINT, and Siemens NX AM help engineers refine every detail to maximize throughput and minimize failure rates.

This preparation stage forms the backbone of the AM workflow. It ensures that when the part is finally built on the print bed, it already reflects hundreds of tiny engineering decisions supported by digital testing and simulation. Because AM allows geometries that traditional machining cannot produce, the digital preparation step becomes even more crucial.

Engineering Lighter, Smarter Components

Weight remains one of the most persistent and costly challenges in automotive engineering. Every kilogram removed from a component helps improve acceleration, braking, efficiency, and for EVs, precious battery range. AM doesn’t solve this problem by simply swapping materials; it solves it by allowing engineers to reshape the component entirely.

Instead of a solid block, parts can be constructed with internal lattice structures or hollow regions engineered for stiffness where needed and flexibility where possible. These shapes can’t be made with subtractive machining; they can only be grown layer by layer. This opens the door to 30–40 percent weight reductions in structural components like brackets, housings, or mounts.^[2]

Material selection plays an equally important role. Aluminum alloy AlSi10Mg offers excellent thermal properties for power electronics or under‑hood applications. Titanium alloy Ti64 provides exceptional strength‑to‑weight ratios suited for critical load‑bearing components. PA12 polymers deliver lightweight durability with low moisture absorption—ideal for electrical connectors, interior housings, or aerodynamic features. High-performance thermoplastics, such as polyetherimide (PEI, also known as ULTEM), withstand extreme heat, making them perfect for high-voltage electric vehicle (EV) components.

Together, geometry and materials redefine what “lightweighting” means. It’s no longer a compromise; it’s an opportunity to rethink performance at the design level.

A New Kind of Automotive Workflow

As AM becomes more integrated into automotive engineering, design decisions shift upstream. Engineers simulate not only how the part behaves in the car but also how it behaves in the printer. They account for thermal gradients, layer adhesion, shrinkage, and even how the printer might distort a shape as it cools. These new variables create a feedback loop between digital design and physical production that didn’t exist in traditional manufacturing.

And the effects ripple outward. Once validated, a part can be stored not in a warehouse but as a digital file. Automakers are building digital inventories that allow parts to be printed on demand, reducing storage requirements and eliminating long lead times.^[3] In some cases, this allows manufacturers to resurrect rare or obsolete components, keeping older vehicles operational long after traditional supply chains have ended.

For engineers, especially those in electrical and electronic design, AM also encourages integration. Engineers can build channels, thermal paths, wire routing, and shielding directly into the structure rather than adding them as separate parts. This reduces assembly complexity and improves reliability.

Designing Without Boundaries

Additive manufacturing is shifting from a prototyping tool to a core production technology. What once lived only in R&D labs now plays a role in engine bays, chassis systems, EV thermal systems, electronics housings, and interior components. As CAD tools grow more capable and printers become more precise, engineers gain the freedom to develop parts defined by purpose rather than tooling.

For the automotive industry, this marks a turning point. When innovation is no longer constrained by traditional fabrication, new ideas emerge, including lighter components, more efficient shapes, and digital workflows capable of producing what the next era of vehicles demands.

The future isn’t arriving in big, dramatic leaps. It’s arriving one meticulously engineered layer at a time.

For a deeper dive into this topic, read the full article, “Building Better Cars, One Layer at a Time.”

This blog was generated with assistance from Copilot for Microsoft 365.

[1] https://www.press.bmwgroup.com/global/article/detail/T0286895EN/a-million-printed-components-in-just-ten-years%3A-bmw-group-makes-increasing-use-of-3d-printing, https://formlabs.com/blog/ford-new-explorer-sla-sls-3d-printing/
[2] https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0278612523000729
[3] https://www.advancedtech.com/blog/automotive-additive-manufacturing/