HÖRMANN Uses 3D Printing to Build Large Rail Vehicle Panels

Train noses are moving off the tooling floor

Large-format rail vehicle panels have traditionally relied on hand lay-up and vacuum infusion with thermoset composites. The process is slow, labor-heavy, and the tooling is expensive. HÖRMANN Vehicle Engineering GmbH (HVE) just finished a three-year consortium to replace that workflow with something tool-free and recyclable.

The 3D-FiberTrain process chain

The project, funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy, ran from September 2023 through June 2026. HVE and its partners built a three-step manufacturing chain. The first step uses a granule-based extrusion 3D printer to form complex geometries in thermoplastic. The second step applies a newly developed 3D tape-laying process to reinforce high-stress areas along load paths. The third step runs automated milling to bring pieces to final dimension and surface finish.

The thermoplastic material choice matters. Unlike thermoset composites, these parts can be recycled at end of life.

Validated on a real high-speed train

The consortium used the Siemens Mobility Velaro MultiSystem, the ICE 3neo Class 408, as the reference platform. Operating speeds reach 320 km/h. HVE manufactured the nose and front skirt to prove the process chain works on production-grade geometry under real structural demands.

The claimed benefits are lower manufacturing costs for small and medium production runs, reduced carbon footprint, eliminated tooling, and faster design iterations. Those are the same advantages 3D printing promises in every sector, but rail has been slow to adopt because certification and surface quality requirements are unforgiving.

Why this is a signal, not just a prototype

HVE led the consortium and defined requirements, design specifications, and structural validation. Support came from Fraunhofer IWU, Fraunhofer IMWS, Lakowa GmbH, and Siemens Mobility as an associated partner. That breadth suggests the process chain passed internal scrutiny beyond a single lab demo.

Rail manufacturing is not known for rapid material or process changes. If a tier 1 supplier to Siemens Mobility can move from thermoset tooling to thermoplastic 3D printing for visible, structural exterior parts, the approach will likely spread to other train builders and bus manufacturers facing similar cost and sustainability pressures.