Hyundai Installs Two ExOne VX1000 HSS Polymer 3D Printers

High Speed Sintering for Full-Scale Automotive Parts

Hyundai has installed two ExOne VX1000 HSS polymer 3D printing systems at its Namyang R&D Center in South Korea. The automotive giant is using these machines for pre-production test parts, small-batch production, prototyping, and long-lead parts that would otherwise require expensive tooling.

The Korean automaker has worked with additive manufacturing since 1996. This latest investment in ExOne's High Speed Sintering technology targets large, functional parts where speed and consistency matter. Complete door panels can be printed in a single build, which cuts assembly effort and reduces tolerance stack-up errors that come from joining multiple pieces.

How HSS Polymer Printing Works

High Speed Sintering uses an infrared-absorbing ink applied selectively to PA12 powder. A sintering emitter then fuses each layer. The process demands tight temperature control across the entire build chamber, and the VX1000's design focuses on delivering consistent heat management from edge to edge.

The VX1000 originally came from Voxeljet before the two companies merged under Anzu Partners. The printer offers a build volume of 1,000 x 550 x 190 mm and uses an 8,000-nozzle printhead. Replacement of the sintering emitter and print module is designed to be routine, keeping downtime low.

Shared Infrastructure for Both Machines

Both printers draw from a single unpacking station and central powder supply. ExOne says this arrangement lets the team run up to 80% recycled powder without losing part quality. Real-time process data feeds into manufacturing systems, and a live video feed gives operators direct visibility into each print job.

Eric Bader, CEO of ExOne Global Holdings, put it plainly: keeping large polymer parts accurate and repeatable is one of the hardest problems in polymer 3D printing. Hyundai is using the technology exactly as ExOne designed it: for full-scale functional parts that automotive teams can rely on for real development work.

This kind of adoption signals that polymer AM is moving past prototype status at major OEMs. When a company the size of Hyundai commits to HSS for door panels and similar components, it means the process has passed internal validation gates that most 3D printing technologies have yet to clear.