Hyundai and Kia Open a 3D Printing Hub at Namyang

A New Facility for an Old Technology

Hyundai Motor and Kia have officially opened the Additive Manufacturing Solution Center at their Namyang Research and Development Center in Hwaseong, South Korea. It is the first building the group has constructed specifically for 3D printing, nearly three decades after Hyundai installed its first industrial printer in 1996.

The center consolidates polymer and metal additive manufacturing under one roof. Engineers can move a component from digital design to finished part without the molds, dies, or tooling that conventional manufacturing demands. That shortcut matters when the goal is to compress development timelines or produce low-volume parts without retooling.

What the Center Can Do

The AMSC runs four main processes. Vat photopolymerization uses light to cure liquid resin layer by layer, suited for fine, detailed components. Polymer powder bed fusion sinters powdered material without support structures, reducing waste and post-processing work. Metal powder bed fusion employs high-energy lasers to fuse complex metal geometries. Directed energy deposition, including a wire-arc process compatible with steel, aluminum, and titanium, builds larger structural components.

A dedicated Quality Inspection Cell checks dimensional accuracy, tensile strength, bending stiffness, and impact resistance against production standards. Every printed part passes through that cell before it reaches a test vehicle or production line.

Real-World Applications

The center serves several distinct functions within Hyundai and Kia. During vehicle development, engineers print prototype components to test fit and function before committing to expensive tooling. For discontinued models, the team uses 3D scanning and reverse engineering to recreate legacy parts, such as a Hyundai Pony side-sill component produced with period-accurate surface finishing. Motorsport applications include anti-roll bar blades, damper brackets, and brake duct rails printed to hit the weight-to-rigidity balance racing demands.

Heritage restoration is perhaps the most surprising use case. By scanning original parts and reproducing them additively, the AMSC can keep classic cars on the road without relying on surviving spare parts inventory.

Why Now

The timing reflects a shift in how the group views additive manufacturing. Hyundai has used 3D printing for years, but until now the capability lived in scattered departmental labs. The AMSC building signals that the technology has reached the volume and maturity needed to justify a purpose-built facility.

Supplier Hyundai Mobis opened a $2.8 million design model workshop combining powder 3D printing with full-size clay modeling several years ago. That earlier move hinted at the co-located design-and-fabrication model the AMSC now formalizes at group scale.

The Bigger Picture

Hyundai and Kia are not just printing parts. They are building an operating model where digital design, additive manufacturing, and validation live in the same loop. If the center delivers on its promise, the group will shorten development cycles, reduce tooling costs, and extend support for vehicles long after conventional production ends. For an automotive giant, that is a meaningful change in how cars get built.