Current Applications and Future Trends of Additive Manufacturing in the Automotive Industry

JIN Liangjie; LI Fengguang; LIAO Luhai; ZHOU Shengjie; LIU Jianyong; LIN Xiaopeng; HU Shengbo; YANG Wei

doi:10.3969/j.issn.1674-6457.2026.05.006

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Journal of Netshape Forming Engineering ›› 2026, Vol. 18 ›› Issue (5) : 61-70. DOI: 10.3969/j.issn.1674-6457.2026.05.006

Additive Manufacturing

Current Applications and Future Trends of Additive Manufacturing in the Automotive Industry

JIN Liangjie, LI Fengguang^*, LIAO Luhai, ZHOU Shengjie, LIU Jianyong, LIN Xiaopeng, HU Shengbo, YANG Wei

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Abstract

Against the backdrop of global energy scarcity, additive manufacturing technology has become a key element in the development of the automotive industry. With significant advantages such as design freedom, high material utilization, and rapid prototyping, additive manufacturing technology shows great potential in the automotive industry. The demand for new manufacturing technologies in the automotive industry and the match between additive manufacturing technology and corresponding needs were analyzed systematically. The technical characteristics of mainstream additive manufacturing methods, including powder bed fusion, material extrusion, photopolymerization, binder jetting, material jetting, and directed energy deposition, as well as their differences in applicable materials, precision, speed, and cost were introduced. The application cases of additive manufacturing in automobile research and development, production tools, and terminal components were summarized. In the automobile research and development stage, the application of additive manufacturing technology in structural topology optimization, the integration design of the engine cooling system and structure, rapid prototyping of products, typical applications in lightweight design were reviewed. In the automobile manufacturing stage, the application of additive manufacturing technology in customized fixtures and inspection tools, injection molds with conformal cooling channels, and specific applications in end components like power systems, chassis systems, body and interior parts including oil extraction camshafts, steering knuckles, brake calipers, and headliners were summed up. Based on relevant case studies, the challenges and countermeasures faced by the promotion and application of additive manufacturing technology in the automotive industry were analyzed, and it was pointed out that additive manufacturing technology could collaboratively improve the technical route for the entire process chain of “R&D-Tooling-Components” of automotive production, providing a basis for moving from auxiliary processes to core manufacturing and was expected to revolutionize automotive production methods and have a profound impact on the automotive industry.

Key words

additive manufacturing / automotive lightweighting / 3D printing / rapid prototyping / topological optimization

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JIN Liangjie, LI Fengguang, LIAO Luhai, ZHOU Shengjie, LIU Jianyong, LIN Xiaopeng, HU Shengbo, YANG Wei. Current Applications and Future Trends of Additive Manufacturing in the Automotive Industry[J]. Journal of Netshape Forming Engineering. 2026, 18(5): 61-70 https://doi.org/10.3969/j.issn.1674-6457.2026.05.006

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Funding

2026 Hubei Provincial Natural Science Foundation Joint Fund for Innovation and Development (2026AFC0269); Key Project of the Hubei Provincial Natural Science Foundation Joint Fund for Innovation and Development (2024AFD093); Excellent Young Scholars Fund of Hubei University of Automotive Technology (2023YQ02)