Bosch and Nikon SLM 3D Print a Complete V8 Engine Block in One Piece

A complete V8 engine block has been produced as a single 3D printed part in aluminum, without the casting or tooling that conventional manufacturing demands. The demonstrator came out of the Bosch Additive Solution Center in Nuremberg, Germany, where Nikon SLM Solutions and Bosch Industry Consulting used the NXG XII 600 metal additive manufacturing system to build the block in AlSi10Mg.

Why a V8 block matters

Casting a cylinder block requires expensive tooling that takes weeks or months to validate. Any design change forces a tooling revision, adding more time and cost. The 3D printed version bypasses that entirely. The block went straight from a digital file to a finished aluminum part, with no intermediate steps.

The result is a geometrically complex component that integrates features casting cannot easily replicate: internal cooling channels, topology-optimized structures, and consolidated assemblies. Material goes only where structural analysis says it is needed, so the printed block ends up lighter than a cast equivalent without sacrificing stiffness or durability.

What the partners contributed

Nikon SLM Solutions did not simply deliver a machine and step back. The company handled materials qualification, process parameter tuning, data preparation, quality assurance software, and ongoing application engineering. That breadth of support is typical for industrial metal AM projects: the hardware is only part of the equation.

Bosch brought decades of automotive manufacturing expertise and the Nuremberg facility itself. By opening that center to this project, Bosch positioned itself as one of the first tier-1 automotive suppliers in Europe running metal additive manufacturing at this scale. That matters because most vehicle components are made not by the OEM but by tier-1 and tier-2 suppliers. AM adoption runs through that network.

What comes next

The V8 block is not heading into volume production. It is a technical demonstrator. But the message is clear: the technology is ready for complex, high-value automotive applications, the partnerships are in place, and the production systems exist to move from prototype to production without relying on castings or long tooling lead times.

For automakers and suppliers evaluating where additive manufacturing fits, this project is a concrete proof point. Metal AM can now compete with conventional methods on cost, schedule, and design freedom for the right parts.