BMW Will Put a 3D-Printed Part in a 2027 Production Car

BMW Confirms WAAM Component Coming to 2027 Production Car

BMW Group will start series production with wire arc additive manufacturing next year and launch a new vehicle featuring its first WAAM 3D-printed structural component. Timo Göbel, BMW's Head of Additive Manufacturing, confirmed the part is currently in its final qualification steps for a 2027 debut.

Göbel could not disclose which specific vehicle will carry the part or what the component does. He did say it is a structural aluminium component chosen because WAAM delivers a favorable stiffness-to-weight ratio. "We are between 30% and 40% lighter than a standard die-cast aluminium part," he said. "So that is a big advantage. Overall, we are cheaper and lighter."

BMW has been exploring WAAM since 2015 and began building test components with an MX3D production cell in 2021. The technology differs from more familiar powder bed fusion processes by feeding wire through an electric arc, melting it layer by layer. That makes it much faster for large metal parts, but it also demands stricter process control to maintain quality.

Göbel told TCT Magazine that WAAM makes sense for large aluminium components where laser powder bed fusion would be too slow and too expensive. The bigger the part, the more value WAAM delivers compared to die casting. With this first application, BMW says it found a pretty big part and is proud of the result.

BMW's Additive Manufacturing Campus has produced more than 1.6 million 3D-printed parts since 2020, with 100,000 more added each year at other vehicle plants. Most current production supports development and validation of Neue Klasse electric vehicles. WAAM is the next step: moving from tooling and fixtures to structural parts that carry real loads in moving vehicles.

The automotive industry has watched BMW's AM investments closely. If this first WAAM part passes qualification and performs well in service, it opens the door for larger, more complex printed structures across the model range. That would mark a genuine shift from prototype-only additive manufacturing to serial production parts.