Hyundai and Kia Open First Dedicated Additive Manufacturing Center

A 30-Year Wait Ends

Hyundai Motor Group installed its first industrial 3D printer in 1996. Nearly 30 years later, the company has opened something it never had before: a facility entirely dedicated to additive manufacturing research and production. The Additive Manufacturing Solution Center, or AMSC, sits at the Namyang R&D Center in Hwaseong, South Korea, and it brings polymer and metal 3D printing together under one roof.

What the Facility Runs

The AMSC uses several processes for polymer parts: digital light processing, stereolithography, and polymer powder bed fusion. DLP and SLA handle detailed prototypes and design validation. Polymer PBF takes over for larger, stronger production parts.

Metal applications include laser powder bed fusion and directed energy deposition. The DED line covers wire arc additive manufacturing, which works with steel, stainless steel, aluminum, and titanium. Hyundai showcased a motor housing printed in WAAM, then finished with CNC machining to show how the two processes complement each other.

From Prototype to Production

The center already produces more than prototypes. It makes jigs, fixtures, and service parts for discontinued models where conventional tooling no longer makes economic sense. Motorsport components such as anti-roll bar blades, damper brackets, and brake duct rails come from the AMSC as well. Engineers also use 3D scanning and reverse engineering to recreate obsolete parts for heritage restoration, including a reproduced side-sill for the Hyundai Pony, the company's first car.

Why It Matters

Automakers have used 3D printing for years, but most have relied on outside suppliers or scattered internal labs. Hyundai and Kia are betting that bringing everything in-house will shorten the path from digital design to finished hardware. If the AMSC delivers on that promise, other carmakers will face pressure to build similar centers of their own.