Hyundai and Kia Open Additive Manufacturing Hub in South Korea

Hyundai and Kia Open Additive Manufacturing Hub in South Korea

The Hyundai Motor Group has opened its first dedicated additive manufacturing facility at the Namyang R&D Centre. The new Additive Manufacturing Solution Centre is designed to reduce material waste, speed up tooling production, and give the company a faster path from digital design to physical part.

Senior Manager Hanwoo On says the group is rapidly expanding its use of additive manufacturing beyond vehicle components. The centre will handle polymer and metal processes, including vat photopolymerisation for precision prototyping, metal powder bed fusion for complex vehicle parts, and directed energy deposition for structural metal components.

A Quality Inspection Cell runs alongside the new facility to make sure printed parts meet the same standards as traditionally manufactured components. That inspection step is critical if 3D printed parts are going to move from prototype to production.

One early win already happened on the heritage side. Engineers recreated a Hyundai Pony side-sill component using 3D scanning, reverse engineering, and additive manufacturing. Kia also used 3D-printed seating in its EV2 concept alongside partner OECHSLER.

The centre gives Hyundai and Kia a way to print tools, consumables, and legacy parts on demand instead of waiting for suppliers or keeping physical inventory. For a car company that runs millions of vehicles, that flexibility matters.