Scalable, automated, open-material: BMW Group continues to invest in Additive Manufacturing and elevates the technology to the next industrial level.

Munich / Oberschleißheim. The BMW Group Additive Manufacturing Campus (AMC) is setting the course for the next stage of industrialization. Under the new leadership of Timo Göbel, additive manufacturing will be further integrated across all phases of the vehicle life cycle, with open-material and highly automated systems and a clear focus on quality.

Additive Manufacturing at the BMW Group

Additive Manufacturing (AM) is firmly embedded throughout the entire product life cycle of the BMW Group. From conceptual ideas and prototype production to series production and aftersales applications, additive manufacturing components are used across all stages. The technology is also an integral part of the BMW Group production system.

AM components are now used in series production vehicles across all BMW Group brands – from MINI to BMW and Rolls‑Royce all the way to BMW Motorrad.

Five Questions for Timo Göbel, Head of Additive Manufacturing, BMW Group

In this interview, Timo Göbel explains how the Additive Manufacturing Campus is driving the scaling of the technology, expanding the component portfolio and process integration, and how the BMW Group is strategically positioning itself in the field of Additive Manufacturing.

Mr. Göbel, which experiences have shaped your view of Additive Manufacturing?

My professional background is rooted in materials engineering and application-oriented development, particularly from my time at Rolls-Royce. Early on, I saw how powerful additive manufacturing processes can be when applied correctly. This experience continues to shape my perspective today. I already advocated strongly for the technology back then and am now very much looking forward to shaping the next stages of development for the BMW Group.

How is Additive Manufacturing evolving at the BMW Group? What strategy are you pursuing?

Additive Manufacturing is now fully integrated across all phases of the product life cycle. 3D-printed components are used from early development and prototype production all the way to series production and to support the global production network.

In prototype construction, additive methods continue to evolve steadily. Today, we can meet functional requirements that would not have been feasible just a few years ago. As a result, AM is becoming an increasingly important tool for fast, flexible, and technically advanced development processes, making a decisive contribution to shortening development cycles. For example, AM supports the development and validation of vehicles of the Neue Klasse. 3D-printed components were also used in the development of the latest generation of electric drive technology.

Within the production system, AM is present in every BMW Group plant worldwide. The technology supports our colleagues across the production network, enabling them to quickly and easily manufacture additive components that optimize work steps and production processes. This area is currently experiencing particularly dynamic growth.

For end‑customer components, such as individual and edition parts, series components, and aftersales parts, the technology offers both technical and economic advantages and creates unique customer experiences.

As we observe strong growth and broader fields of application across all phases of the product life cycle, we are continuing our investment strategy in this key technology.

How do you plan to further scale Additive Manufacturing within the BMW Group, and what concrete steps are you taking?

The major pre-development projects, IDAM and POLYLINE were important enablers for scaling AM applications. In these projects, the BMW Group actively helped shape the foundations for scaling additive manufacturing in the automotive sector by defining requirements, developing solutions and piloting system-integrated structures.

A key pillar of our scaling strategy is the use of automated, digitally networked process chains, open-material systems and open interfaces, all of which allow seamless integration into our existing production structures. We are therefore investing in an expanded technology portfolio built around these exact requirements, as well as in systems with larger build volumes.

In the polymer segment, we rely wherever possible on fully series-ready systems. Where the market does not yet offer such solutions, we procure equipment custom-designed to our specific requirements. Systems that reliably meet the high performance standards of our plants will increasingly be deployed in the future.

In the metals segment, we have already integrated central subprocesses from the IDAM project into our campus infrastructure. The next step is the introduction of an entirely new generation of metal 3D printers, followed by the integration of new manufacturing technologies such as Wire Arc Additive Manufacturing (WAAM) into the BMW Group production network.

In addition, we conduct intensive technology scouting at the campus and test new technologies, materials, and processes, which we gradually transfer into the BMW Group production network.

Another decisive factor is the training and qualification of our development and production employees worldwide. By embedding AM expertise broadly across the organization, we create the foundation for sustainable scaling throughout the entire company.

Where is this heading? Which components are the focus?

Through scaling, we will be able to manufacture larger components with significantly improved properties across the entire product development process – and with substantially shorter lead times. For many applications, we will no longer need tooling, which greatly increases flexibility and speed.

In development, additive processes already enable highly functional components that can be used in dynamic functional tests and even crash tests, achieving quality levels that previously required prototype tooling. The new generation of highly productive, automated systems at the AM Campus enables much faster and more efficient production. Larger build volumes allow the manufacturing of large, single‑piece, highly functional components. This opens up many more applications in prototype construction and increases the use of the technology.

In series production, we expect highly productive systems to produce larger components in higher quantities over the coming years. WAAM significantly accelerates the production of large‑format components and integrates optimally into our existing systems.

Within the production system itself, fast, robust, and user‑friendly equipment ensures our plants worldwide can independently produce additive production aids quickly and locally. This increases efficiency across the entire development and production network.

Your outlook: What happens next?

In the short term, we are focusing on integrating the new generation of equipment. This puts us clearly on track toward the broad industrialization of additive manufacturing. Technologically, we are in the process of fully transferring WAAM into series production. In prototype development, the process is already firmly established; vehicle testing has been underway since 2025, and from 2027 onward, we will begin series production of the first components.

With this, the BMW Group is actively shaping the transition of additive manufacturing into a fully integrated and widely established production technology – both technologically and organizationally.

Milestones at the AMC

• 1990/1991: The BMW Group’s Rapid Technologies Center commissions its first equipment development in the field of Additive Manufacturing and produces initial prototype parts.
• 2012: With the start of production of the Rolls‑Royce Phantom, polymer brackets for various vehicle applications are produced in series.
• 2017: With the start of production of the BMW i8 Roadster, metal components are produced in series for the first time.
• 2017:  MINI Yours Customized enables customers for the first time to design and order selected aftersales components with their own individual designs.
• 2020: The BMW Group consolidates the production of prototype and series components, technology research, and qualification under one roof at the Additive Manufacturing Campus.
• 2022: Within IDAM (Industrialization and Digitalization of Additive Manufacturing), fully automated, digitally networked lines for metallic 3D printing are established for the first time.
• 2024: The AMC develops Wire Arc Additive Manufacturing (WAAM) for large‑volume structural components.

About the BMW Group Additive Manufacturing Campus

Opened in 2020, the Additive Manufacturing Campus in Oberschleißheim brings production, research, and training together under one roof, accelerating the integration of additive processes into development and series production. Since production began at the AMC, more than 1.6 million components have been manufactured and used across all BMW Group brands. In addition, more than 100,000 components are produced decentralized each year at vehicle plants worldwide.